The dynamics of Ukraine’s operational success depend on conducting military operations in winter.

Ukraine’s ability to maintain the military initiative on the battlefield and the dynamics of operational success depends on whether the Ukrainian army continues to conduct military operations in the winter, according to a report by ISW. The US think tank believes that Russia lost the initiative in the summer after its offensive in the Donbas ended. After the attempted Russian advance ended in August, Ukrainian forces seized and have kept the initiative, carrying out a consecutive series of successful operations, during which a large part of the Kharkiv region and the city of Kherson were both liberated. According to analysts, Ukraine is currently readying itself to launch new strikes by the military elsewhere this winter. This window of opportunity’s time frame will depend solely on weather conditions, which will affect Ukraine’s ability to conduct maneuver warfare with minimal pauses between operational successes, the report said.