As of the end of November, 2023, the Russo-Ukrainian war entered a new phase, termed by many observers as a "strategic impasse", "parity of combat capabilities", "trench war", etc. Currently, despite tactical successes in certain areas of the front, neither party to the conflict holds a strategic initiative in the entire theatre of operations.
The first signs of the "trench war" appeared at the beginning of the summer campaign, when the Ukrainian offensive met an insurmountable obstacle of a combination of modern technologies, minefields and engineering obstacle of Russian defence. The Russian attempt to capture Avdiyivka, started in early October, only confirmed its inability to seize the strategic initiative. Therefore, the "deadlock", officially admitted by the Ukrainian side, equally applies to Russia's failure to achieve its declared goals of the “special military operation”, despite the bravura of the Kremlin.
https://razumkov.org.ua/statti/ukraina-vid-viiny-do-myru-ta-vidnovlennia
