Since the beginning of May 2023, the Russian Federation has increasingly ceded the initiative in the war against Ukraine and is more likely to react to Ukraine's actions than to actively advance towards its own military goals, according to a defense intelligence report tweeted by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Wednesday morning.

"During May 2023, Russia has launched 20 nights of one-way-attack uncrewed aerial vehicle and cruise missile attacks deep inside Ukraine. Russia has had little success in its likely aims of neutralising Ukraine's improved air defences and destroying Ukrainian counter-attack forces. On the ground, it has redeployed security forces to react to partisan attacks inside western Russia," the report notes.

"Operationally, Russian commanders are likely attempting to generate reserve forces and position them where they believe a Ukrainian counter-attack will occur. However, this has probably been undermined by uncommitted forces instead being sent to fill gaps in the front line around Bakhmut," the report notes.