Update on Russian military operations in Ukraine for December 30, 2022:

- Russia conducts what may be the largest missile strike so far during the special military operation;
- Ukraine's power grid continues to be degraded;
- Fighting continues around Bakhmut;
- Western analysts insist Russian fighting around Bakhmut is "senseless" but it suits Russia's strategy of attrition;
- Russia is also building extensive defensive structures across the line of contact;
- These lines force Ukrainian offensive troops to spend more time in well-prepared fields of fire resulting in major casualties;
- Russia appears to be settling into a protracted war of attrition while protecting its lines with these major defensive works.

References:

BBC - Russia fires 120 missiles from air and sea - Ukraine:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64114784
War on the Rocks - LOCALIZED OFFENSIVES: THE DIRECTION OF THE CONFLICT:
https://warontherocks.com/2022/12/localized-offensives-the-direction-of-the-conflict/
New York Times - Russia is building a vast network of trenches, traps and obstacles to slow Ukraine’s momentum. Will it work?:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/14/world/europe/russian-trench-fortifications-in-ukraine.html
Russian Ministry of Defense (Telegram) - Centra MD engineering units erect fortifications within special military operation:
https://t.me/mod_russia_en/5062
US Army, Fort Benning - Defeating the Russian Battalion Tactical Group:
https://www.benning.army.mil/armor/earmor/content/issues/2017/spring/2Fiore17.pdf

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