Western military assistance "critical" for Ukraine to hold territory as Russian forces likely to continue offensives to destabilize Ukrainian defenses this spring & prepare for new offensive effort in summer 2024, according to the ISW's report.
Russian forces retain the initiative and could destabilize previously stable sectors of Ukraine's front line in a short period of time if Ukrainian ammunition shortages persist, ISW reports.
The Russian military had likely set the goal of achieving success in this area through assault actions, similar to their current objectives in Avdiivka, Dmytro Lykhoviy, the spokesperson for the Tavria Group, said.
On 15 August, Ukrainian troops continued offensive operations in at least three front sectors in Bakhmut, Melitopol, and Berdiansk directions, ISW reports.
The US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War reports that Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensives in three sectors of the front, near Donetsk's Bakhmut, in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, an possibly near Luhansk's Svatove.