According to Ukrinform, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said this in its latest Russian offensive campaign assessment.
"The Russian withdrawal of some troops from northern Donetsk Oblast will deprive the Sloviansk effort of necessary combat power, in the same way that Russian forces neglected the Zaporizhia and Kherson Oblasts fronts during offensive operations in Luhansk Oblast," the institute said.
The withdrawal will likely create an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to launch a counteroffensive on the Izium axis, just as the Russian capture of the Luhansk region allowed Ukraine to set conditions for a counteroffensive in the Kherson region.
According to the report, the Russian redeployment of troops to the Zaporizhia region also suggests that Ukrainian counteroffensives are not confined to the Kherson region and will likely take place throughout the southern axis.
