In recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have been more candid about their losses on the battlefield as they plead with the US and other Western nations to send more arms. Ukrainian officials told The Wall Street Journal on Monday that without a significant increase in military aid, Ukraine will face a defeat in the eastern Donbas region.
“In this war, the victory will be with the side that has more and better weapons. And, if Ukraine doesn’t obtain enough weapons in time, it will bleed out,” said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister.
US officials are also expecting Russia to continue making territorial gains in the Donbas. A Pentagon official told The Washington Post that Russia will likely control the entire Luhansk Oblast within a few weeks.
The latest US weapons package for Ukraine was announced by the Biden administration on June 1 and included for the first time High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). The UK said it is sending a similar US-made rocket system, known as the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).
Mykhailo Podolyak, a top aide for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, listed on Twitter the number of heavy weapons Ukraine wants to “end the war.” His list included 1,000 howitzers, 300 MLRS, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles, and 1,000 drones.
The US has said it will send four HIMARS and Britain pledged three MLRS, vastly lower than the number Podolyak wants. The US still needs to train Ukrainian forces on how to use the systems, which the Pentagon said will take about three weeks.
Providing the rocket systems to Ukraine is a significant escalation of military aid and risks provoking Moscow. The systems are equipped with munitions that give them a range of 50 miles, meaning they could be used to hit Russian territory. The Biden administration said it received assurances from Ukrainian officials that they won’t use the weapons to hit targets inside Russia, but the US reportedly has no way to track the arms it’s pouring into the country.
This is a false report. After assuring victory for his country against Russia Zelensky is now focusing his attention to the other major issue the world is facing. China – Taiwan. Now that Zelensky has become a world leader he has exhorted for greater involvement by foreign nations in support of Taiwan in its war against China. To highlight the problem he will be staging a concert , pants at angle length and playing piano with what every one knows. As for which drug to take he is seriously contemplating.
Even vastly more weapons would “end the war” by achieving “parity” with Russia’s artillery?! Sounds to me like the only formula to keep the war raging indefinitely.
Ukraine has lost over 50,000 KIA and another 65,000 MIA. So admitting to losing is an understatement.
Love the wish list. That’s more MBTs and IFVs than the German and UK armies have in their active forces combined. And it still wouldn’t be enough; not for coordinated offensive operations against dug in Russian forces in Crimea and Donbas: And, “missing” from the list is the immense number of HETs, armored engineer vehicles, armored recovery vehicles, logistics support vehicles, ammunition carriers, ADA vehicles, prime movers, etc to keep all those weapons systems mobile and protected during an offensive. But I guess Zelensky just considers all that to be “throw ins” to the list. And what about air support? Surprised he didn’t ask for 2 or 300 fighter/attack jets, and a few hundred attack helicopters, along with all the support infrastructure they would need – maybe that’s on his “next” list? And what about fuel for all that hardware? Ukraine isn’t “energy independent”, they import most of their petroleum products from Belarus or Russia; so maybe Ukraine should also demand that the US drop sanctions on Russian oil, so it can be sold to Western Europe, refined there, and then “given” to Ukraine for free?
Drug addict Zelensky increasingly resembles Hitler moving imaginary troops around a map as he cowers in a bunker!
Zelensky wants more money!
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/695/452/ac6.jpg
Wild celebration party in the Kremlin, Putin spotted with young male from Belarus!
Putin is level headed and is his own mater, not like those dogs of
Zionists who just posture as leaders. Biden ,Johnson.When Putin celebrate world will know
“Is his own mater,” or “master…????”
I stand corrected. It is Master.Thank you
Who cares? Or are you just pissed because you had your eye on that young male from Belarus too?
Collecting bad reviews and down votes
Where is all this low life cumming from that have no real arguments, just a lot of sophmorinic ad hominium venom like this porker named bacon…?????
Where’s “Fakin’ Bacon”? He can’t handle the truth! LOL
He morphs into an alpaca..
Zelenski has a bigger problem. A vast majority of people cannot stand him and his Nazi clique. Large chunks of country cannot wait for Russia to liberate them, and the fear for their yound is acute. Forced to be in military, fearful of being called a traitor and executed. Fearful for their familes.
It is a country that is divided. Majority living in fear for their lives, and the minority living in fear that their rule may come to an end. Fearing consequences, they will sacrifice everything. How many high profile people they alfeady executed for “treason” without a trial. First was a member of Ukrainian negotiating team. “Reisting arrest”. What happened to two generals whom Zelenski fired for “being traitror”. Nevet heard off again.
There is a persistent fesr of being shot at the front — being accused for “wanting to surrender”.
These two populations cannot live together again. Predominantly Russian ethnic regions will most likely be annexed by Russia after referendum.
Majrity Russian speaking Ukrainians, greater part of Kiev and central region may be all that is left of Ukraine. And can only survive under Russian protection. Such a country could be viable with Odessa, provided that all Nazis from Ukraine leave, ecxept well known ones that must be prosecuted.
With the border region of Zhitomir and Vinitsia — to decide by refeendum their pteference. Either with Kiev-Ukraine, or to Galicia,
And to fix a historic mess -/ it would be only fair to give it independence. Much of the attrocities committed in WWII and now across Ukraine – was the consequence of their endangered identity, And under such conditiknd extremists rule the day. Minority commits the crimes, manority gets tainted by association. It should have never been part of Ukraine, and not just
given away to Poland or anyone.
Ukraine, or Borderlands — a final chapter of clashes over its territory should be resolved faiy in the eyes of the majority of people.
Zelenski cannot remain, Russia has his number. Or should I say — letter.
Bianca! Take a look at ‘Poland and Ukraine’ by Thierry Meyssan!!! Its a must read shocker to me…
Zelensky hasn’t figured it out yet. It’s not the weapons they need the most, it’s trained man power.
Providing a couple of rockets will make no difference in a war on this scale. That talk is hype.
Ukraine has asked for “1,000 howitzers, 300 MLRS, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles, and 1,000 drones.”
That is more howitzers than are in the US Army and Marines combined. It is several times more than all of the European NATO armies combined.
That is more MLRS than deployed by all of the US forces combined.
1,000 combat drones is several times more than the entire DoD has for all of the US services combined (excluding “target” drones). The US operated scores of Reaper drones, not hundreds, not a thousand, even at the height of its War on Terror.
So sending what the US and UK promise is nonsense. Requesting what Ukraine really needs for a land war with Russia is nonsense.
It was foolish to instigate this war. Its best possible outcome now would be far worse than what the US refused to discuss last December.
This is bungled by Biden from beginning to end, and certainly a complete bungle now in the middle of things.
At least it advances the Green Agenda of wrecking the world’s oil economy. It is the uneconomic devastating hard way to do that, but they don’t care because it will only hurt someone else.
“Ukraine has asked for ‘1,000 howitzers, 300 MLRS, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles, and 1,000 drones.’ That is more howitzers than are in the US Army and Marines combined.
Actually, it’s about half as many as in the US Army and Marine Corps combined. The US armed forces field about a thousand towed M777 howitzers and about a thousand of the M109A6/7 self-propelled howitzers. That’s excluding mountain/pack howitzers.
Even with those numbers, we can’t just send them all to Ukraine. I sought perspective on the numbers being thrown around.
Ignore Knapp. He just likes correcting people. It makes him feel superior.
No, correcting incorrect statement doesn’t make me feel “superior.” It just makes me feel “useful.” While there are exceptions, and you’re certainly one of them, most people prefer to deal with the real world and true facts.
No, you’re not “useful” in any sense of the word. I have yet to see you do anything “useful” here except run your mouth where it’s not needed.
Well, you’re right in that it’s “not needed” by anyone who prefers fantasy to reality and believing what they want to believe because it’s what they want to believe. So obviously I’m not “useful” to you.
Which is fine. But I do find it odd that you tell everyone else to ignore me while resolutely refusing to do so yourself.
Guys, please.
I see the numbers offered as proof of my basic point. We can’t send our entire arsenal of towed howitzers, nor half of all of them however mixed between types.
There are eight active duty Army divisions, and like those in Korea need to keep their guns.
There are three active Marine divisions, and like those in Okinawa need to keep their guns.
Reservists and National Guard might give up their weapons, but that is less than eight divisions, depending on how one counts the new brigade structure of their reorganization. There is one Marine reserve division. Between them, even totally disarmed, they won’t have those numbers.
The Army largely did away with Corp artillery, and the Marines never had it. They gave it up before buying new guns for it.
Germany is down to one division, plus a mixed division of peacekeepers. Britain has given up on divisions, and has only a few brigades. France long ago reduced its “divisions” to four battalions each. Europe has no great stock of howitzers either. Germany sold off its equipment, to Canada and Turkey and others in between — it isn’t sitting there.
Sure everyone has some spares. But if this is the size of their active forces, how many will those spares be, the new long range ones wanted remember.
Old ammo stocks from the days of the M114 short barrel guns need new propellant, and new guns get the desired range from using new projectile designs, even if they could shoot off old stuff for shorter ranges.
The more we look at exact numbers, the more the problem becomes real.
No name calling needed for that.
Finally, as the German leader already told Zelinsky, we need to keep our own armies armed, because we don’t want to disarm in today’s conditions.
I wasn’t disagreeing with your premise, just correcting your figures.
But, one thing: The Marine Corps is in the process of eliminating most of its tube artillery (16 out of 21 batteries), along with all of its tanks and about a third of its of its fixed-wing aviation. I wouldn’t be surprised if a bunch of the howitzers going to Ukraine are coming right out of Marine Corps TOE. They’re planning to triple their HIMARS, though, and add some anti-ship missiles.
They’re not making any secret of why they’re doing all this: They’re preparing for island wars with China, and trying to get back to the WWII “amphibious landing force” setup.
I am not sure that Marine Corps “plan” is a done deal. There is intense opposition. I agree with the opposition that it makes the Marine Corps units involved too inflexible. I am not even convinced that giving the Marines coast defense and air defense missiles adds something unique enough to make it a “Role and Mission” for the Marines. The Army already has Patriots and did cruise missiles before in Europe.
“Send the Marines” is the cure for many things, and always will be, not just a campaign arming islands as missile bases against the Chinese. Their organization and training to move anywhere at any time in significant numbers with heavy assets tailored to the task is their core Role and Mission.
Most of the plans I’ve seen have been for a littoral Regiment, not the whole Corps. Maybe proponents envision that wholesale conversion of the entire Corps, and certainly opponents fear it, but all of that is not even proposed yet.
Anyway, 16 battalions of 18 guns each is a grand total of only 288 guns, not 1,000.
They did give up their tanks, but I think that was only 4 battalions including the Reserve, hence less than 200. That did set them on a new path, but it had other reasons too, including dissatisfaction with the M-1 as an amphibious weapon system.
I’m sure you’re right that it’s not a done deal.
One rumor I heard had it that the artillery change was going to go all the way down to my old job — 81mm mortars in the infantry battalion’s weapons company would be eliminated. The only mortars left would be the 60mm mortars in infantry companies’ weapons platoons. Basically almost all artillery support would have to come from other services and the battalion commander would have nothing at all at his personal disposal/discretion. I find that insane, and hope it IS just a rumor.
I initially thought that the Marine Corps not having tanks was also a stupid idea, but I’m beginning to think that the age of the tank is over in any case, and yes, if the mission is going to be amphibious, the M-1 is probably a bad idea. In the 1991 war, the Corps had to switch back to its old tanks simply because the M-1 was just too heavy for air transport to move enough of them quickly. The same problem would presumably apply to amphibious landing craft expected to carry them.
Of course, I’m no longer interested in maintaining a large military at all, and especially dislike the idea of pre-configuring the Marine Corps for an idiotic war of aggression in the Pacific.
Every time I hear more specific details of this plan, it gets even worse.
Must Read!!!!! Poland and Ukraine by Thierry Messan…