Russian winter offensive fails - British Ministry of Defence

The Russian army failed to implement Valeriy Gerasimov's plan and failed in a winter offensive that lasted 80 days. This is according to a UK Ministry of Defence military intelligence report.

Russia's winter offensive failed, it squandered the manpower advantage that it had achieved through mobilisation," the report noted.

The British recalled that on 11 January 2023, Russian General Valeriy Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, took personal command of a "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Gerasimov's term of office was characterised by an attempt to launch a general winter offensive to expand Russian control over the entire Donbass region. Eighty days later, it is increasingly clear that this project has failed," the report said.

At the same time, the document notes that Russian forces have made little progress along the Donbass front. However, it has cost them too much. The Russian Federation has lost tens of thousands of soldiers, throwing them under fire from the Ukrainian army.

There is a real possibility that Gerasimov, after ten years as chief of the General Staff, will push the boundaries of acceptable defeat for Russia's political leadership," Britain's Ministry of Defence said.