Russian General Gerasimov's winter offensive in Ukraine fails, says British intelligence

On 11 January 2023, Russian Chief of the General Staff (CGS) General Valery Gerasimov took personal command of the "special military operation" in Ukraine, according to British intelligence data.

Gerasimov’s tenure has been characterised by an effort to launch a general winter offensive to extend Russian control over the whole of the Donbas region. Eighty days on, it is increasingly apparent that this project has failed.

On several axes across the Donbas front, Russian forces have made only marginal gains at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties, largely squandering its temporary advantage in personnel gained from the autumn’s "partial mobilisation".

After ten years as CGS, there is a real possibility that Gerasimov is pushing the limits of how far Russia’s political leadership will tolerate failure.