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A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep into a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Nearly 14 months after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and following a lackluster Russian winter offensive, experts around the world are focused on the prospect of a Ukrainian offensive. What is Ukraine planning for the coming weeks and months? What about Russia? And how could the conflict shift as the weather warms?We asked three experts to weigh in. Read more below. Michael Kofman Director, Russia Studies Program, Center for Naval AnalysesThe upcoming Ukrainian offensive could prove to be a decisive phase in the war this year. This is not Ukraine’s only opportunity, but is quite possibly its best chance to inflict a major defeat upon Russian forces. Ukraine has set aside a substantial force in reserve, trained and largely equipped by Western countries. It will likely receive an infusion of artillery ammunition for the offensive. Russia’s defenses, along with Ukraine’s newly trained units, remain largely untested. It’s unclear how much the Russian military may have exhausted itself over the winter or how far the force’s morale has depleted. Similarly, Ukraine has struggled to evolve from a largely attritional approach, heavily dependent on fires — and sustaining offensive operations remains a challenge. Dara Massicot Senior Policy Researcher, RAND CorporationRussia’s winter offensive, led by Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, has produced lackluster results — despite the injection of mobilized personnel and older equipment from strategic reserves. Russian forces are poised to take Bakhmut, and possibly others, but at a steep cost. Russian offensive capability on the ground is heavily degraded. They continue to wear down Ukrainian air defenses with