JAKARTA - Ukrainian special forces, operating behind enemy lines, successfully attacked a supply convoy and blocked a Russian attack, Western officials said.
Moreover, the ability of the regular Ukrainian army to launch a swift counterattack, as soon as the invaders take control of a village or town proved decisive in buying time for the country to build up its forces.
In contrast, significant casualties have been spent on Russia's Spetsnaz special forces, whose skills will take considerable time to replace and rebuild, officials told a news briefing.
Ukrainian specialists, known to have been trained by US and British special forces, have honed their tactics during the battle, creating havoc by destroying vulnerable Russian troops.
Sneaking deep behind the front lines, they were able to ambush vehicles carrying ammunition, food and essential fuel for Russian tanks.
Sources told The National the army had developed their tactics, riding quad bikes to cross the country quickly and planting anti-tank mines, while using small drones to track and strike targets.
They have called for accurate artillery fire at Russian targets causing further casualties, in addition to the 15,000 Russian death toll which is "increasing every day", officials said.
"Ukrainian special forces are operating behind Russian lines and exploiting the vulnerability of long supply routes with extraordinary effect," a western official said, citing The National News April 28.
"It may be on a small scale, it may not be like defeating the entire Russian presence in one oblast (province), but it all gives time to allow Ukraine to continue building their capabilities."
Spetsnaz along with the Russian VDV air force suffered heavy losses in the early days of the war, when they tried to take Kyiv without adequate armor protection or fire support. Now it seems their losses are continuing.
"The Russians have lost experience in their elite forces," an official said.
"It will take time to rebuild that expertise and the amount of personnel and equipment they need, to pose a significant threat to others in the future."
While the Russians still managed to make some progress in the Donbas region, they were constantly plagued by the Ukrainian army's use of swift counterattacks.
"Regarding Ukraine's ability to counterattack. They have proven outstanding in that regard. Even when Russia takes a village or town, Ukraine often strikes back immediately, so the Russians don't have time to sleep or control the situation and they immediately retreat again," he explained.
Despite tracking the armored vehicles, the Russians also appear to be held back by heavy rains in eastern Ukraine, suggesting they lack training or confidence.
"They didn't advance in the heavy rain. This was surprising because they had the capability to operate off-road but chose not to."
While Moscow's generals had promised to seize the entire Black Sea coast to connect to the tiny Russian enclave of Transnistria in Moldova, realization of that ambition was impossible as they would have to capture the now heavily fortified city of Odesa, requiring amphibious assault.
"We have seen from the sinking of the Moskva (main cruiser), that the Russian navy is now on high alert approaching that coastline, fearing a further attack, thus choosing to move further from the coast."
The officials also stressed that the West's main effort was to "incur costs" in Moscow, by supplying weapons to lower its military, agreeing with the British Defense Ministry's claim that it was "completely legal" for Ukraine to strike targets in Russia.
"We are trying to burden Russia with reducing its offensive capabilities. Many of our policies are designed to have that effect," the official said.
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