The russian summer offensive turned out to be part of a failed campaign: the enemy was unable to hold even key bridgeheads — Vladyslav Selezniov

The so-called “summer offensive” of the russian forces was not a separate operation, but rather a stage of a larger offensive campaign that has been ongoing for two years. Despite the massive use of infantry, aviation, and artillery, the enemy has not achieved its strategic objectives and is gradually losing resources. Military expert Vladyslav Selezniov stated this in a comment to OstroV.

“I wouldn’t separate this as a ‘summer offensive’ as an independent event — it’s part of the overall offensive operation of the russian army, which in fact began in the second half of October 2023 with the battles in the Avdiivka area, , - he noted.

According to the expert, the summer phase of the 2025 campaign was an attempt by russia to create several assault bridgeheads for further offensives, but all three directions that moscow bet on turned out to be unsuccessful.

“The enemy tried to form at least three such bridgeheads, but these attempts did not yield the expected result: it still does not control, so to speak, a number of critical areas — examples include territories where it was planned to establish a bridgehead, and which remain not fully under enemy control”, - Selezniov explained.

He emphasized that the russian command continues to use a significant amount of manpower and air-artillery resources, but the effectiveness of such actions is gradually decreasing. The reason lies both in the depletion of combat potential and in factors beyond the command’s control — primarily weather and logistics.

“The key factor is that the enemy is still actively using infantry, aviation, artillery, and other means, but with such intensity, the resources may not last long. A moment comes when natural conditions, road weather, and logistics start working against the attacking side: dirt roads turn into impassable mud, and it becomes even harder to continue the offensive”, - the expert noted.

In his opinion, the current activity of the russians has a limited time frame and will likely decrease by the end of autumn. At the same time, he warns that even in the event of a temporary pause, the enemy will not give up attempts to resume the offensive in the future.

“Perhaps these assault efforts have a limited duration. Of course, hostilities will not stop and the enemy will continue attacking within its capabilities. But we see a slowdown. There’s a possibility that the enemy will use this relative operational pause to prepare and concentrate resources for future offensives, possibly in mid-January and later until the end of March. It’s a typical cycle: respite — regrouping — new attempt”, - Vladyslav Selezniov summarized.

The expert emphasized that the russian army, despite heavy losses, continues to act out of inertia, trying to maintain the initiative. However, with each passing month, it becomes increasingly difficult for it to sustain the pace of operations that have long ceased to bring any strategic results.