 To prevent a counter-attack, Russia sends troops from all over the country to Ukraine. The war unleashed against Ukraine violated the well-established national strategy of Russia. Currently, the main burden of the Ukrainian counter-offensive is born by military formations drawn from all over Russia according to Defence Intelligence of Britain. For example, in Zaporizia Oblast, the 58th Combined Arms Army is defending heavily entrenched lines. Normally, it secures Russia's volatile Caucasus region. Around Velika Novosilka, the 5th Combined Arms Army and Naval Infantry hold the front. They are routinely based 7,000 km away as a balance to Chinese power. Around Bakhmut, the defence is now largely formed around airborne regiments normally stationed in Western Russia who normally act as an elite rapid reaction force in case of tensions with NATO. The way Russia is accepting risks across Eurasia highlights how the war has dislocated Russia's established national strategy. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said he had warned the United States and other Western nations that the counter-offensive would go slowly the longer it took allies to deliver the promised weapons and ammunition needed for the mission. In an interview with CNN broadcast, Zelensky said Ukraine had wanted to start the military campaign sooner but needed to wait for the advanced weaponry. I'm grateful to the US as the leaders of our support, but I told them as well as the European leaders that we would like to start our counter-offensive earlier and we need all the weapons and material for that, he said. Why? Simply because if we start later it will go slower.