It’s one thing to send images and official announcements on encrypted Telegram channels to keep the nation informed about the war. It’s another story when you reveal actual operational strategies from the military.

Just this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed government officials who seemed extremely excited to announce secret military strategies that would allow them to win the war.

The Ukrainian government tagged overconfident Ukrainian officials after they were cited in various publications like the New York Times and The Washington Post. Unfortunately, many of these stories include “anonymous Ukrainian officials” as the primary source. As for our team here at SOFREP had only cited military experts in our analysis pieces about the war.

Nevertheless, Zelensky said their conduct is out of touch and had been uncharacteristic for officials of their nation. In a time when loyalty and patriotism mean life and death, Zelensky said this is not the time for them to use media “for vanity and loud statements.”

“The fewer details you divulge about our defense plans, the better it will be for the implementation of those defense plans.”

“If you want to generate loud headlines, that’s one thing – it’s frankly irresponsible. If you want victory for Ukraine, that is another thing, and you should be aware of your responsibility for every word you say about our state’s plans for defense or counterattacks.”

As of writing, Ukrainian Security Agencies have launched an investigation on said government officials to tighten their hold on highly sensitive information.

According to Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar, they are tracking the sources for these articles and making sure that they are caught.

“A leak like this disrupts the plans of the Ukrainian armed forces since the enemy adjusts its actions and uses this information against us.”

We have previously reported another crackdown by the government on spies within their top-ranking military officials as well as Russian patriots in the civilian areas. The Ukrainian government believes Russia had set an extensive network of spies before the invasion happened, and this has disrupted a lot of progress in the Ukrainian military’s attacks and defenses over the past months.

Where Does the War Stand?

While the government is dealing with spies and officials leaking confidential information to the press, Ukrainian Ground Forces (UGF) are reportedly focusing on two regions: Donbas in the east and the complete recapturing of Kherson.

Soldiers in the 93rd Brigade had recently captured wheat fields in Donbas, including a Russian tank. In addition, there was another village near the area that was liberated earlier this week.
The UGF is moving forward “50 yards at a time,” while steadily measuring Russian forces in the region.

“Our forces are moving into the region step by step,” Mr. Zelensky said this week.

Meanwhile, the Russian Army is diverting their soldiers to meet the UGF and reclaim Donbas and Kherson. However, the intensity of fire exchanges has lessened over the past few days. Analysts say Russia could explore more diminutive towns and narrower sections like Pisky, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka.

As for the overall picture, the Russian forces are getting weaker and thinner around the eastern and southern regions of the border.

Yuriy Bereza, the commander of the Dnipro-1 unit in Ukraine’s National Guard, said they have now “reaced a situation of parity.” Though it’s not the most ideal scenario for Ukraine, they can still call it progress. Bereza also cited the irreplaceable impact of US-supplied HIMARS on the battlefield since this allowed them to level their resources and focus on long-range attacks instead of facing Russian forces, five to ten times their size (in numbers).

“The first time I heard a HIMARS launch it was like music to my ears,” he said. “It is the most beautiful music for Ukrainian soldiers.”

As of writing, the Russian troops have lost 80,000 troops (either killed or severely wounded) since the war began. As for Ukraine, current estimates tally losses of 100 to 1000 per day. Unfortunately, more than 12,000 civilians have been wounded or killed during the attacks.