UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 759 – MARCH 22, 2024

On the night of March 21-22, Russian forces carried out the largest series of combined drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since the start of the large-scale invasion.

Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities are likely aimed at weakening the capacities of the Ukrainian defense industry, and Russian forces are trying to exploit the lack of Ukrainian air defense missiles to make a renewed attempt to collapse the Ukrainian energy grid.

Russian forces are likely to continue their offensive operations until spring 2024 while preparing for an offensive operation expected in the summer of 2024. However, it is likely to be difficult for Russian forces to launch a concerted major offensive in multiple directions in Ukraine simultaneously.

Russian forces are likely to try to exploit the current material scarcity in Ukraine while preparing efforts that will force Ukraine to consume a significant portion of the Western security assistance it could receive in the coming months.

Recently, Russian forces have made confirmed advances near Kreminna, Avdiivka, Donetsk city, and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia region, leading to further fighting along the entire contact line.

The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for a mass shooting and a bombing at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb on the evening of March 22.

The full Russian Offensive Update 759 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR