Petrograd, Jan. 13.
There are reliable indications that the Russian operation on the southwestern front had a similar object to that of the Russian advance into East Prussia in September 1914, which was undertaken with the purpose to withdraw German attention from the French Front.
The fact that the Russian offensive in Galicia and Bukovina hae ceased for the moment is undoubtedly due to the attainment of the object of the operations, which must be sought outside the actual scone of the fighting.
Besides upsetting the plans of the German General Staff by causing the withdrawal of considerable Austro-German forces from the French and Balkan theatres, the Russian diversion has undoubtedly influence Rumania and also Balkan theatre, which likely to become the centre of im portant operations in view of the probable transfer of the British and French forces from the Dardanelles to this front Russian military critics consider the withdrawal from Gallipoli of the forces of the Allies aa being due to the fact that events in the Balkans have created a more fective and quicker way to attain their ultimate object to reach Constantinople. These critics express highest praise for the splendid manner in which the re-embarkation of the forces at Gal-ipoh was carried out and an assurance that this alteration in plane will improve the military situation for the Allies.
Petrograd, Jan. 13.
An official communique issued to-day states:
Our torpedo-boats in the Black Sea destroyed an enemy submarine off the coast of Anatolia and also two colliers.
The enemy twice attempted, without success, to assume the offensive north-east at Crernowite. We drove the enemy out of part of his trend ches which we occupied.
Paris, Jan. 12 A telegram from Petrograd states that is order to cope with the Rus sian the Austrians are recalling four divisions from the Balkans and two divisions from the Italian front. The Germans are bringing up eight divisions from the Balkans and even the French front is said to have been tapped. Large enemy reinforcements have appeared on the extreme right of the southern Russian front. The Austrians are feverishly evacuating Czernowitz. Publio services and hospitals have been removed to Hungary.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.