Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-01
RUSSIAN ESTIMATE
OF WAR TO DATE
Consider Their Potential Fight
ing Capacity Undiminished
by the Struggle.
CONFIDENT OF POWER TO
EXHAUST GERMAN ARMY
Will Continue Broad Front to Re-
lieve Pressure on
Her Allies.

PETROGRAD. July 31.-From a per-
son who, although not connected off,
cially with the war department, is in
close touch with the government on
Gals and is well acquainted with the
military situation and the Russian
state Of feeling, the Associated Press
has obtained the following review OF
the first year of the war.
THE end of the first year OF the war
finds Russia's potential fighting ability
undiminished. Her armies are intact.
her resources virtually untouched, and
the determination of her people, the
morale of her troops, have only been
deepened with the growing realization
of the enemy's strength.
Looks for Long Struggle.
This determination is expressed most
forcibly in the mobilization of vast in
dustrial resources for the production of
war munitions. These efforts are rap
idly lessening the disparity of the Co..
bats in guns and ammunition. Russia
does not look for speedy termination
OF the struggle, but feels confident v.
her power to exhaust the enemy.
Tine campaign on the eastern front
must be viewed in relation to the enOr-
nous extent of territory over wnIca
tic to Bukowina. Inc far flung au-
vances and retreats here have had no
more significance relatively than gains
and losses of thousand yards on the
western front. To interpret Russia's
temporary loss of territory as German
success is to ignore Russia's role to en-
gage as great a part of the enemy's
FORCES as possible to relieve pressure on
her allies. Russias refusal to accept
battle in Instantaneous conditions.
even though she must temporarily
abandon territory, has kept her armies
and defensive lines unbroken.
Drawing Germans From Bases.
ut is the assertion of Russian au.
thorities that every German advance
has cost Germany more men. both rel
atively and actually, than 1t cost Rus.
STA. They regard Germany as now
committed definitely to a campaign
farther and farther from their bases:
and to abandon this campaign would
be a disastrous defeat for her. More
over. it is maintained that not even
the territorial ambitions of Germany
have been realized. since the German
detectives on this front have not been
fully attained.
1.-The advance of the Austrians into
southern Russia in the early stage Of
the war met with full defeat. 1t was
followed by Austrias loss of Galicia
Gen. Ivanoff, at the head of the south
ern Russian armies, carried on one OF
of the war. The present stage may
possibly be regarded as an uncompieted
repetition of this earlier movement
German Drives Costly.
Furthermore, the repeated German
drives at Warsaw from the west have
cost the enemy tremendous losses. 1t
was only after six weeks of the most
intense fighting in the Bzura region
due west of Warsaw last winter that
the Germans recognized. the futility OF
attempting to break the Russian front
by direct frontal movements.
ION the other hand, by exacting
heavy toll Of lives in rear guard &C.
tions during the carefully ordered re-
treats and by keeping her own army
intact, Russia successfully performed
her appointed task.
Campaigns as Diversions.
THE East Prussian aggressive. which
manifested itself periodically, and lat
terly the Baltic campaign never have
been regarded otherwise than as di-
versions. A parallel to these move
ments is found in the Bukowina opera
tions, in their relation to the general
Galician campaign. Their chief i'm
portance has been to draw men from
other fronts, where more serious fight
ing has been in progress.
While it is understood the fate of
the Turkish provinces on the Caucasian
front will be determined by the gen.
eral course of the war, this should not
minimize the genuine military success
es Russia has achieved in that distant
field. Russia did not desire to expend
hAr or 10th in Aoio of
when opposed by the threatening
Turkish advance in December she eN-
erted her power, flung back the Turk
ish army at Sari kamysh, and began a
series Of movements which carried the
Russian arms to Van and the APP
proaches of Bitlis and Mush. in Turkish
Armenia"