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Originally Posted by mapuc
Does Russia have enough resources to retake most of what they lost to Ukraine last autumn ?
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South and East: they will keep what they have, the losses there are small. North, Kyiv: well, they had it for just a month or so, and took a heavy beating in that month.
They must not retake anythign, they will be happy to keep what they have, but at Charkiv they obviously have gone on the offensive. And different to Western media reports it seems it is not just a small distractive effort, but a major attack. Ukraine seems to seriously struggle to keep them from advancing at a higher speed.
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Does Ukraine have enough resources to withstand this Russian counteroffensive ?
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(edit: I messed it up in the following paragraph, I was focussing on Russia, not Ukraine that you asked for. 
In short, Ukraine is under pressure, and when The Russians advance, that necessarily means the Ukrainains currently fall back accordingly. )
Yes. Obviously they have, so far, and I do not see their lines breaking up any time soon. If ever. I think it is by now wishful thinking. Both sides now again use their artikllery to deliver each other a battle of attrition of logistics, that means in a few weeks the Ukraine will possibly not have anything left anymore that is heavy and strong enough to support an offensive and advance through a breach in Russian lines. Media soemtime ssay the Ukriane still holds back 6 or seven briagdes, I think that is simply wrong, they hold back just 4, and these already have partially engaged their artillery. I think this description is the more credible and scenario.
Worse, as I just said, and as the article that Jim edit-added to my posting #46 also confirms: the Russians seem to gain confidence that the Ukrainians will not be able to make their offensive a crushing threat -
and have gone on the offensive themselves elsewhere, at Charkiv. Why that is no distraciton, but indicates confidence? Because in significant parts they have send not new troops there, but shifted troops from the south-east to Charkiv,
pulling them from front sectors where the Ukrainians attack. That tells something about the pressure of the Ukrainian attacks there, it seems to be rather weak.
Obviously Ukrainian pressure there is such that the Russians can pull troops out instead of sending reinforcements in.
As it currenty goes, Ukraine bleeds out. Ukraine presses to get to Melitopol, but it is still 60km from the city, and has advanced in the past six-eight weeks just less than 10 km, and they have not even made contact with the major first defence line. Across the front, the Russian lines seem to hold - practically everyhwere, where they hve three lines in echelons, or just one line: they hold. The coast of Asov Sea still is about 90 km away.
All that speaks against Ukraine.