The US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in the latest of its daily summary analyzes said that Russian television coverage in recent days of visits and meetings of the Russian military and political leadership, as well as the meeting between Putin and Lukashenko scheduled for Monday, suggests that Moscow is preparing decisive action on the front in the coming months - but that these actions are unlikely to be successful.

ISW believes that the showing in the last two days of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin - Russian politician.

Born on October 7, 1952 in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. Prez and Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Commander of Russian Forces in Ukraine Sergei Surovikin, and Shoigu's trip to the Southern Military District, is a response of the claims and criticisms of Russian military ultranationalist bloggers, but not only.

"Continued attempts by Russian military officials to show that they are actively involved in military planning and control, especially in the absence of tangible victories in Ukraine, may mean that Russia is preparing to resume its offensive in Ukraine in the coming months," wrote the analysts of ISW.

They see signs that a similar offensive is being prepared during the meeting between Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since 1994. Before he took office on Monday: American experts, as well as a number of their Eastern European counterparts, suggested that Putin would again urge Lukashenko to take a more active role in the war.

Putin asked for suggestions from the military command on how to continue the campaign in Ukraine

However, whether the Russian military will be capable of a successful offensive in the near future remains a question that raises serious doubts among the Ministry of Interior.

According to experts, mobilized reservists and recruits still will not learn to fight well enough in the coming months to conduct rapid and successful operations.

In addition, Russia lacks tanks, artillery and long-range weapons, a problem that is unlikely to be solved until this winter.

"Putin may order large-scale offensive operations as early as winter, but it is important not to overestimate the ability of Russian or combined Russian-Belarusian forces to

successfully conduct such operations".

In addition, according to American analysts, Lukashenko is unlikely to agree to send his army to Ukraine, news.bg also writes.

Highlights:

-The representative of the Ukrainian General Military Intelligence (GRU) Andriy Yusov reported that the Russian military has received a new batch of Iranian drones and continues to negotiate with Iran to acquire ballistic missile systems.

-Ukrainian and Russian sources report that positional fighting continued along the Svatovo-Kremna line.

-Ukrainian and Russian sources report ongoing fighting on the outskirts of Bakhmut and to the northeast and south of the city.

the Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces had captured Yakovlivka, Donetsk region, northeast of Soledar.

-Russian sources claim that Ukrainian forces have pushed Russian forces out of long-held positions near Bakhmut.

-A Ukrainian official said that Russian forces are re-engaging parts of the eastern (left) bank of the Dnieper River in Kherson Oblast and that it is too early to say whether Russian forces are withdrawing.

Russian and Ukrainian forces continued routine artillery and missile strikes along the Dnieper River.

-The Ukrainian General Staff reports that on December 16, Ukrainian forces struck two concentrations of Russian forces and two ammunition depots in Zaporozhye region, injuring 150 personnel and destroying 10 pieces of equipment.

- Ukrainian Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov states that Russian forces are placing "dragon's teeth" anti-tank defenses in Melitopol.

- Russian forces and occupation authorities continue to struggle with acute shortages of medical personnel and supplies.

Vladimir Putin

Alexander Lukashenko