However, this all took time to supply and to conduct the requisite training - time that Russia exploited to build extensive layered defensive systems. The West responded by providing an extensive list of advanced military capability, including battle tanks, missiles systems and ammunition. President Zelenskyy argued that he could repeat that initiative on a larger scale with Western support - all he needed was the weapons to do the job. In September last year, Ukrainian forces mounted a surprise counteroffensive in northeast Ukraine and liberated 4,600 square miles (12,000 sq km) of territory in a matter of days. President Zelenskyy remains laser-focused on his objective of liberating all Ukrainian territory, but if Ukraine's military fails to gain momentum in the coming weeks, what next? Ukraine's much-anticipated spring counteroffensive is now in its 10th week, with limited evidence of any significant breakthrough of the formidable Russian defences. "Ukraine might be on the verge of making a breakthrough, but the next four to six weeks are going to be utterly crucial for Ukraine, for their success in this campaign." And we're now 10 weeks into the counteroffensive. "The problem is the metrics of success for this will not be measured in ammunition fired or tanks destroyed or even casualty rates. "Ukraine has been very, very effective at targeting the Russian logistics, ammunition dumps, Crimea, Moscow and the like. "From the Ukrainian perspective, this is all about gaining territory," says military analyst Sean Bell. Kyiv's forces are now 10 weeks in to the operation, and with no real shift on the frontline, there is a risk Western countries supplying them with weapons will start getting frustrated. We've heard a lot about Ukraine's counteroffensive over the last few days - from US officials reportedly saying it will fail to achieve a main goal to think-tanks arguing it is "significantly degrading" Russian forces.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |