Since Bakhmut they have just been stalling for time, they have no real capacity left to push and know they cant contain Ukraine forever a long as they are supplied by the West. Russia is throwing away hundreds of troops to slow down every Ukraine breach but it forces Ukraine to take their time to reduce their own casualties, unlike russia who uses them as a resource. Russia is attritioning an incredible amount of equipment and personal and all they are doing is slowing down the inevitable.
They are buying time in the hopes that something can happen to tip their favour (US elections, internal drama in europe etc). If i was to guess the current plan is trying to hold on until winter and try paint the counteroffensive as a failure in the hope of reducing supplies from the West who might want some return on donations and then try throw enough of their cannon fodder at them to attrition Ukraine down without Western resupplying equipment and freeze the current frontlines.
Currently it looks like even this plan wont work as Ukraine are making progress through the lines in spite of this.
