Appearing on ETV show "Ukraina stuudio," Col. Vendla noted that Russian forces have been seeing daily losses of over 1,000 personnel of late, which tallies with the intensity of their operations.

"Such an intense pace of attacks has been maintained since the end of last year, and with these so-called meat-grinder assaults, they have captured some territory over the past six months; sometimes only a few kilometers, sometimes more, in certain directions. This has come at a high human cost, and is something of a Pyrrhic victory," Col. Vendla went on.

"Russia has demonstrated that it can endure these losses without barely blinking an eye, so a figure of 1,000 is clearly not a limiting factor," he added.

Col. Vendla acknowledged that the Russian armed forces also continue to manage to recruit more personnel than they lose per day, meaning that even this high casualty rate does not slow their operational pace.

Lately, several western countries, including most significantly the U.S., have announced that they will go along with Ukraine striking military targets on Russian territory and using the weapons those western nations have provided, on the condition that this is done in self-defense – it is the recent renewed strike on Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, which has concentrated minds here.

According to Vendla, Russia will need to rethink its logistics planning as a direct result of this change.

He said: "It was relatively convenient for them to muster troops and move logistics from Russia without much consequence. In the current situation, especially in the direction of Kharkiv, where longer-range weapon systems can now fire freely, it allows for deeper strikes and shaping the battlefield in depth."

"This means that Russian forces must rethink how they organize their logistics and command. Ultimately, their air defense systems are limited, while the air defense needed in this direction must come at the expense of other sectors. This will in turn help Ukrainians to achieve their objectives," Vendla went on.

As to whether Ukraine can push Russian forces back to its sovereign border in the Kharkiv sector, Vendla said that is difficult to foretell.

The problem is, when Russian forces find themselves unable to advance for instance during the notorious Rasputitsa, or in Ukrainian Bezdorizhzhia, periods (spring and autumn mud), they have tended to dig in deeply, leading to entrenched, literally, positions which are hard for Ukraine and which in any case call for greater firepower.

Despite the western aid, the balance of firepower still remains significantly in Russia's favor, Vendla noted. "We are talking about ratios of one to four, one to five, one to six, so starting a counteroffensive requires a very different initial setup. It is too much to hope for such conditions today," he said.

Vendla said does not anticipate a major Ukrainian counteroffensive any time year. "If we turn the clock back to 2023, it is clear that it will not happen this year, as the conditions for an offensive of this kind are not present."

"We are likely looking at 2025," he added.

Defense Ministry Secretary General Kusti Salm also spoke to ERR and stressed that the lifting of restrictions on western weapons used by Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia is not some magic solution which would get the war won, but rather comes with strings attached.

Salm said: "It is not a magic wand in order to win this war."

"In actual fact, this is a very fine line, considering what has been allowed. It is not a blank check allowing you to fire anywhere. It is limited to a specific area in Kharkiv, and to specific weapons, such as artillery and shorter-range HIMARS rockets," he continued.

"It is also limited in terms of targets. At present, the talk is about hitting targets which are firing into Ukraine. To counter large-scale warfare, strikes deeper into the rear would be needed to disable munitions, storage points, command centers, and logistics routes. So far however this has remained a taboo topic for allies, and is the next chapter to be opened," Salm added.

Salm said that in a situation where Russia fires hundreds of missiles at Ukraine on a daily basis, Ukraine has every right to respond in kind, rather than holding up something of a double standard.

He said: "It is interesting that we disproportionately talk about firing into Russia but significantly less about Russia firing hundreds of projectiles at Ukraine daily, targeting civilian infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and other daily life-supporting infrastructure."

"Ukraine has 100 percent the right to respond in kind," the secretary general went on.

"Ukraine has 100 percent the right to create as many dilemmas for the Russian Federation in various areas of life, as Russia does against Western countries," Salm added.

"Ukraine must have the freedom and the right to do the same. This is the only strategy it has ultimately to win," he noted.

The secretary general noted that the west needs to diversify the weapons provided to Ukraine.

He said: "If we weigh the situation today, honestly, there are not many objective parameters indicating that Ukraine is doing better than Russia."

"This means that more weapons need to be provided, with greater range and capability, and more diverse types of weapons need to be supplied. Tougher sanctions are needed, and the supply chains of the Russian arms industry need to be targeted. The work will not stop until Ukraine wins this war," he went on.

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