The Russian operation against Bakhmut will likely culminate by the end of December, as predicted by military observers. Several signs reinforce the conclusion that Russian troops have culminated near Bakhmut. Without obstruction, senior Ukrainian officials are visiting frontline positions in Bakhmut. Due to battle casualties, Russian soldiers are operating in assault groups of squad size, according to recent reports. According to reports, Russian airborne soldiers (VDV) are reinforcing Wagner Group operations near Bakhmut. It is unclear if Russian troops are planning for defensive or offensive operations in the Luhansk Oblast, but they seem to be preparing for decisive action. Wintertime assault operations by Russian soldiers in the Zaporizhia Oblast are less plausible. The Kremlin maintains its systematic denial of Ukrainian sovereignty and reaffirmation that Russia has no desire to negotiate with Ukraine. The Kremlin continues to portray the transfer of Patriot air defense systems and accompanying trainers to Ukraine as an escalation in relations between the United States and Russia, despite the fact that the transfer is, if anything, less escalatory than previous Western military shipments to Ukraine because Patriot is a purely defensive system. Numerous experts predict with great confidence that Putin will not attempt to militarily engage NATO in reaction to the supply of any of the Western military systems under negotiation at this time.