The Ukrainian military has been making gains in the South, Bloomberg reports.
Since the start of the counteroffensive, Ukraine has been slow to make gains, methodically clearing trenches with infantry but suffering high casualties in the process. Russian troops, hardened by the fighting and war experience, have been digging in and slowing down Ukrainian offensives in the East.
Based on US Government reports, Ukrainian forces have been shifting their main effort to the South of the country, towards Crimea. The use of NATO trained and equipped forces remains the key to victory for Ukraine, who will otherwise be outnumbered by fresh Russian conscripts.
This coincides with the collapse of the grain export deal, where Russian attacks on the port of Odessa and Ukrainian shipping restarted. Grain futures have been on the rise in response, foreshadowing a food crisis that could impact the developing world at any moment.
Many clues point to Crimea being the new main target. Its capture by covert Russian units was a major reason for the initial war in 2014, and its recapture by Ukraineia has been a key war goal. The Kerh bridge, linking the peninsula to mainland Russia, was also targeted in a a strike.
