“It is unclear what kind of “strategic reserve” Russia is forming based on open-source reporting but known Russian manpower and material limitations suggest that Russia will likely not commit these ‘strategic reserves’ as a cohesive formation to fighting in Ukraine but will instead use them as a manpower pool to replenish losses along the frontline.
“The formation of additional reserves would likely allow the Russian military to backfill losses in Ukraine without taking a significant operational pause between Russia’s ongoing localized offensive efforts this spring and Russia’s anticipated summer 2024 offensive effort, which ISW previously assessed Russian forces are attempting to avoid despite difficult weather and terrain conditions.”
The think tank added that Russian “offensive tactics will likely increasingly pressure” Ukrainian defences “as long as delays in Western security assistance persist”, meaning they will have ammunition shortages.
This comes as Republican Party lawmakers continue to try and hold up military aid to Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has warned Republicans not to show “the weakness displayed against Hitler” before World War 2.
On Hitler, Cameron added: “He came back for more, costing us far more lives to stop his aggression.
“I do not want us to show the weakness displayed against Putin in 2008, when he invaded Georgia, or the uncertainty of the response in 2014, when he took Crimea and much of the Donbas – before coming back to cost us far more with his aggression in 2022.
“I want us to show the strength displayed since 2022, as the West has helped Ukrainians liberate half the territory seized by Putin, all without the loss of any NATO service personnel.”
