Military expert: Russians want to force Ukrainian army to attack

Markus Reisner is the head of the development department at the Wiener Neustadt Military Academy.

Theresian Military AcademyMarkus Reisner is the head of the development department at the Wiener Neustadt Military Academy.

Sunday, 25.12.2022, 18:06

Even in winter, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine does not rest. In an interview, military expert Reisner explains what is behind the current tactics of the Russians.

The third phase of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine continues - and military expert and colonel Markus Reisner explains in an interview with " ntv " the current tactics of the Russian army.

Accordingly, the Russian army is forcing the offensive of the Ukrainian armed forces over the winter in order to be superior to the weakened opponent in the Russian spring offensive.

Military expert Reisner: Russians want to force Ukrainian army to attack

Colonel Reisner, meanwhile, does not expect the Ukrainians or Russians to return to the negotiating table. Both warring parties are of the opinion that they can win more on the battlefield at the moment.

"Russia has begun to dig in. You laid out the Wagner Line and the Surowikin Line. The Russians lay dragon's teeth - that's what these concrete pyramids are called -, barrages and hundreds of thousands of mines there. They want to create a situation in which Ukraine is forced to attack," Reisner explains in an interview.

For him, it is obvious that the Russians want to create situations in which the Ukrainians and their guns are there and attack where the Russians want them: within range of their artillery.

The Russian tactic is a more defensive one this winter, Reisner told ntv. The explanation: "The bottom line is that I tend to assume that Ukraine will try to go further on the offensive over the winter, as far as possible, while Russia will behave more defensively," Reisner concludes.

He continues: "In the spring, when the Ukrainian army is weakened by its own attacks during the winter, as well as by the consequences of Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, the Russians will try to go on the offensive. By then, the mobilized forces will have arrived en masse at the front."