The Ukrainian operation near Liman could become one of the most important ground episodes of the war. Ukrainian defense forces have regained control of over 200 square kilometers of territory, demonstrating that even on a battlefield overrun by drones, armored vehicles and infantry remain critical. This assessment was made by British military commentator and former British Army Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon in The Telegraph.
According to him, not only the scale of the liberated territory but also the method of conducting the operation are particularly important. For several months, the Ukrainian military likely concealed its intentions while simultaneously preparing a comprehensive offensive using armored vehicles, drones, electronic warfare systems, camouflage, deception, and precision weapons.
It is precisely this model of warfare, which is called combined arms, that has been increasingly declared obsolete in recent years due to the rapid development of unmanned systems. The author finds the contrast between the Kremlin's statements and the situation at the front particularly revealing.
Shortly before this, Vladimir Putin told American representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that the condition for ending the war remains the transfer of the entire territory of Donbas to Russia.
At the same time, Russian troops are under pressure in the Liman region. Thus, Moscow continues to demand concessions from Ukraine even as it struggles to hold onto the captured territories. According to the observer, this demonstrates the gap between the Kremlin's political rhetoric and the real situation on the battlefield.
For Ukraine, this could also have significant diplomatic implications. Volodymyr Zelenskyy gains an additional argument in the negotiations: it's difficult to convince Kyiv to cede territory if the Russian army is itself forced to retreat from some of the captured positions. The Liman operation also served as a kind of refutation of the thesis that modern warfare can be waged primarily with the help of drones.
Drones have fundamentally changed the battlefield. They are used for reconnaissance, targeting, and strikes against equipment and logistics, as well as enabling the destruction of targets at significant distances.
But there's a fundamental limitation: a drone can't independently occupy territory and hold it against the enemy. For that, military personnel are still needed.
Source: Kanal13
