Struggling.

This is coolbert:

Anyone ever say any of this was going to be easy?

"Ukraine war: Western armor struggles against Russian defenses"

"The general in charge of Ukraine's stuttering counter-offensive in the south has said Russian defenses are making it difficult for military equipment, including Western tanks and armored vehicles, to move forward."

From https://www.bbc.com | article by Jonathan Beale | Defense correspondent.

"Gen Oleksandr Tarnavskyi says his forces are struggling to overcome multi-layered minefields and fortified defensive lines."

[....]

"Latest unconfirmed reports from the US suggest the main thrust of the counter-offensive has begun. The Institute for the Study of War [ISW] says Ukrainian forces appear to have broken through 'certain pre-prepared Russian defensive positions'."

Read here the ISW war assessment the Ukraine Conflict as dated 27 July 2023.

That Ukrainian counter-offensive proceeding at a pace both sluggish and ponderous? So is my perception. Gain too small as compared to losses? Valuable resources men and material not necessarily wasted but poorly used?

"ponderous: adjective - labored and dull"

Consider also: "Trevor N. Dupuy’s Timeless Verities of Combat"

2. "Defensive strength is greater than offensive strength."

6. "Defender’s chances of success are directly proportional to fortification strength."

With regard to # 2 and # 6 Russian strong as compared to the Ukrainian this being intuitive even to the most casual of observers!

coolbert.