War in a positional stalemate: Zaluzhny explained why the front froze

The front line in Ukraine has remained virtually unchanged for over a year. After the failed summer offensive of 2023, hostilities are increasingly taking on the features of a positional war, as was the case during World War I.

This is stated in an article by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Valery Zaluzhny, published by ZN.ua.

The sides have lost the ability to achieve breakthroughs, their flanks are closed, and any advance is accompanied by excessive losses. This creates a stalemate in which both Ukrainian and Russian troops find themselves.

There are several reasons. First, the deeply echeloned defenses on both sides, which are almost impossible to break through without a decisive superiority in forces. Second, the all-seeing “lower sky” — a space controlled by thousands of drones, which makes the battlefield completely transparent. Any concentration of forces immediately becomes a target for artillery or FPV drones.

Against this background, the classic tactic of large-scale offensives has lost its effectiveness. Russia has adapted more quickly – instead of breakthroughs, it has begun to “shove” Ukrainian positions with small assault groups, gradually pushing out Ukrainian troops. Such attacks often end in defeat, but they exhaust the defense, reveal its weaknesses, and later lead to the enemy’s advance.

Another tool was the tactic of infiltration – penetrating the gaps between positions, which became possible due to the dispersion of the defense. All this is accompanied by the massive use of UAVs, which became the main cause of losses: they cause up to 80% of the damage.

Because of this, the usual ideas about the front and rear are being erased: rear areas are no longer safe, and forward positions have turned into survival zones for small groups, deprived of support and protection.

The most dangerous thing is that Russia, having more resources, has been able to partially adapt to the new reality and is trying to find a way out of the positional impasse. Ukraine is currently only groping for an answer, losing people and time.

Until a technological advantage emerges that can overcome the transparency of the battlefield, the war will remain in the phase of attrition — the most dangerous for Ukraine. That is why an urgent review of the strategy, a change in the principles of mobilization, and the active implementation of anti-drone systems are needed to at least preserve those who are holding the defense.

As a reminder, Russian occupation forces have expanded their zone of control in Eastern Ukraine , advancing into the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

As reported, the Russian army is making daily attempts to capture Kamianske and Plavni in the Zaporizhia region and reach the outskirts of Primorske for a further offensive.

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