You have a strange idea of this situation.
This is not a failed breakthrough, which the Bulge was, stopped from exploitation by “hard shoulders” (there are no hard anything vis a vis the Russians now), several blocking forces that imposed major delays and chokepoints (St. Vith, Bastogne), and an impenetrable stop line before the Meuse. And then the vastly superior Allied reserves came in and stomped what was left.
The Ukrainians cracked the Russian lines and then...drove through next to no significant opposition, and haven’t seen it yet. Since then they have been in exploitation mode This is not over by any means, the Russian rear areas still seem wide open to rampaging Ukrainians. I suspect the only things holding the Ukes back is that they are outrunning their supplies, and simple exhaustion. And there are, so far, no Russian reserves ready to counterattack.
This is more akin to Sharon and Tal’s Israeli breakthrough and exploitation in 1967.
It’s also not at all clear to me that the Kherson offensive has failed. It’s pinned down a huge number of Russian troops West of the Dnieper - which has weakened Russian forces elsewhere in Ukraine. But also, they’ve clearly lost ground in Kherson and are in danger of being cut off and encircled. Unlike the Russians, the Ukrainians seem to take operational security somewhat seriously - and I wouldn’t put too much stock in Russian claims of massive Ukrainian casualties, which they have been making since day one of the offensive.
The Russian MOD propaganda channels showed a video of reinforcements arriving early in the battle. Within 48 hours the IFV shown in the video was abandoned in a ditch. I feel bad for the families of the Russian guys who were riding in to battle on it.
