ISW: Ukraine’s counteroffensive causes “considerable concern” in russia

russia's information space is reacting "with considerable concern" to reports of a slowdown in russian operations and a possible counteroffensive by Ukraine's Armed Forces.

Ukrainian counteroffensive are increasingly being heard in the russian information space, Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

On March 24, Deputy Chairman of the russian Security Council dmitrii medvedev said russia was aware of the preparation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The aggressor country's General Staff was preparing decisions and measures to respond to it.

Analysts have concluded that the so-called "big" russian spring offensive "appears to be culminating. The russian information space appears to be responding to the slow-down of russian operations and potential for Ukraine to regain the initiative with substantial anxiety."

"russian military command will need to commit a significant number of forces to the frontline to either prevent culmination or launch renewed offensive operations, and it is unlikely that such forces exist at sufficient scale to do either," the report states.

ISW's Key Takeaways for 24 March:

• Prominent voices in the russian information space are increasingly setting information conditions to prepare for a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive.
• Crimean occupation head sergey aksyonov has reportedly formed a Wagner Group-affiliated private military company (PMC) in occupied Crimea.
• Some prominent russian milbloggers criticized the russian military command for continuing to impale russian forces on Vuhledar with ineffective human-wave style frontal assaults.
• russia's putin held a meeting with the russian Security Council likely as part of his effort to portray himself as a present and effective wartime leader.
• russian forces conducted limited attacks along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line.
• russian forces have made gains in and around Bakhmut and conducted ground attacks in the Avdiivka-Donetsk City area.
• The Ukrainian General Staff corrected its 23 March statement that russian forces withdrew from Nova Kakhovka in the occupied Kherson region.
• russian occupation authorities announced the creation of a pro-russian militaristic youth movement aimed at brainwashing children.
• The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense (UK MoD) reported on 24 March that at least 1,000 russian troops are training at the 230th Combined Arms obuz-lesnovsky Training Ground in brest, belarus, redeployed to russia.

In the past 24 hours, Ukrainian defenders repelled 59 enemy attacks. russian forces are concentrating their offensive action in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinka, and Shakhtarsk areas.