The New York Times reports Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing pressure on multiple fronts to launch a counter-offensive and bring the war to a military end. Russia is planning a series of referendums, and likely annexations, of captured territory in the coming months. A former defense minister is publicly warning Kiev that war fatigue could set in.
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk issued the call for Zelensky to launch the offensive in Ukrainska Pravda. "The very difficult state of our economy, the constant risks of air and missile attacks and the general fatigue of the population from the difficulties of war will work against Ukraine."
He argued for Ukrainian forces to go on the offensive and end the war quickly. Zagorodnyuk said, "it makes no sense to drag out the war for years and compete to see who will run out of resources first." It is unclear if Kiev’s forces are capable of offensive operations as Russian soldiers have continued to slowly advance.
Kiev could wait for more weapons to arrive from NATO counties, but time is becoming a factor. "Russian plans to stage referendums in occupied territory could lead to a claim of annexation as early as next month, putting additional time pressure on Mr. Zelensky to launch an offensive," Andrew E. Kramer wrote in the Times.
Ukraine says it has currently shifted to a strategy of "deep war." Those operations attempt to strike ammunition dumps and other strategic targets deep in Russian territory. In the past two months, Kiev says it destroyed over 150 ammunition depots, 91 bases for weapons storage, four barracks housing soldiers, four fuel depots and eight command posts.
The Times reports a further indication of a coming counter-offensive from Kiev is the White House including mine clearing equipment in a recent weapons package. If Ukrainian forces successfully retake territory, the equipment will be vital in minimizing losses.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
“”argued for Ukrainian forces to go on the offensive and end the war quickly””
in other words the ukraine govt will step up their attacks on their own people
I think this is Zagorodnyuk’s way of telling Zelensky that Ukraine has lost the war. Ukraine is not capable of mounting a counter-offensive that could turn the tide. The best that can be done is to go out with a bang.
Ukraine has survived this long solely because US and Europe have propped up the war effort. But the European economy is about to collapse, and that will directly impact the US economy. Cutting the power provided by Zaporizhzhia will have widespread impacts on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Every day that passes will feel as if the vise has tightened.
It is silly to ask for the impossible. Every attempt of Ukrainian army for a counteroffensive terminates in additional losing of their soldiers and retreat. For a real counteroffensive one needs a certain concentration of the armed forces in one place. Every time when it happens, Russian air force and missiles are hitting it. Ukrainian army is 3 times more numerous than Russian, but so far as Russian air force are dominating the air, Ukrainians have no chance for successful offensive.
NO $HIT…!!!!!!!
Ukraine, as has been posted many, many times, lacks the resources necessary for a combined arms offensive against a dug in enemy with superior firepower and air superiority. Our vaunted military waited MONTHS before attacking into Kuwait and Iraq, while Iraqi forces were bombed and shelled mercilessly in order to wear them down, then only attacked when we had overwhelming numerical and f1repower superiority and complete air supremacy. But Ukraine, with a heterogenous collection of conscripts and “volunteers”, poorly trained, with ZERO experience in mobile warfare, a collection of donated and obsolescent (at best) ex-soviet junk, an no air cover, is going to “retake territory and end the war”??? These people are insane.
Insane, but with a very good salary and diverted stuff bonuses galore. It’s a “hurry up & get enough, then Germany” opportunity!!!!!!!
BLOODY INSANE
Dream on . . . the NYT wants their grift operation to continue to line their and the MIC, CIA, NGOs pockets.
Voldomort Zelensky is a fool to listen to senile angry Joey Biden and the retarded English with their delusions of grandeur.
The US Marine Corp is larger than the entire British Army and British leadership is as insane as Joey Biden is senile.
The US wants to maximize the damage to both sides and get it over with and the gas back on by winter.
Translation: Washington War Party wants as many Ukrainians to die as soon as possible.
I think that D.C. perceives it as more cost effective?….
A former Ukr. defense guy “issued the call for Zelensky to launch the offensive in Ukrainska Pravda,” arguing “for Ukrainian forces to go on the offensive and end the war quickly…It is unclear if Kiev’s forces are capable of offensive operations.”
“Unclear”? Nonsense! Victory – by a ‘million-soldier-strong’ Ukrainian army clawing back Kherson in the south – is just around the corner.
Want proof? Just look at this “1945” piece, “Putin Won’t Like This: Ukraine Is Training A 1 Million Man Army”:
“The effort to train Ukraine’s ‘one million army’ is going strong….Outgoing British [PM] Johnson spearheaded a training initiative in which 10,000 Ukrainian troops…get combat ready in just…four months.”
“Going strong”! And in “just…four months”!
So…that’s 1/100th of the ‘million-strong’ army in a mere 4 months…
So…let’s see…4 mo. x 100…so in 400 months…eh, aka 33-1/3
years…that counterattack will be good to go…
…less the ongoing war of attrition deaths (Z. reported up to
200/day in June fighting) and casualties (Axios reported 1000/day in
June) of the soldiers during that same period.
So Ha! and Ha! again! Let Putin stick THAT in his pipe and smoke it!
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/08/ukraine-game-changing-policy-moves-that-aint.html#more
Ukraine – ‘Game Changing’ Policy Moves That Ain’t Game Changing
I’d like to think Ukraine will surrender and seek a peace deal before global markets are roiled. Two months or less might be an appropriate window.
Right. I listen to TheNewAtlas and also Alexander Mercouris from The Duran on YouTube, to get the numbers the media won’t tell us. Or they tell you, but it’s far down in a lone story. Washington is going to send Ukraine artillery ammunition that is less than Russia uses in a week.
And even on the Ukraine side, top commanders have now said that the HIMARS attacks have been a failure. Their number one target was that bridge in the south near Kherson, which they managed to damage on the surface, but not structurally. They have spent weeks attacking that bridge with tons of artillery ammunition they could have used elsewhere, and they haven’t managed to destroy it.
In the meantime, Russia has learned the patterns of supply and deployment of these HIMARS, and say they have whittled them down to seven. The HIMARS was going to be the super weapon that would turn the tide, after the super weapon the Howitzers couldn’t do that. But instead, the Russians recently took a town near Nikolaev and are now so close to that city they can see it from the ground.
Ukraine’s “deep war” is working swell.
“In the past two months, Kiev says it destroyed over 150 ammunition depots, 91 bases for weapons storage, four barracks housing soldiers, four fuel depots and eight command posts.”
Those claims are about as reliable as the Russian MoD’s incredibly specific claims of having destroyed exactly x Ukrainian tanks, y artillery pieces, killed z troops, etc.
While I was too young to notice at the time, I’m given to understand from later reading that US military “body count” reports during Vietnam were roundly mocked by pretty much everyone (including US troops themselves), sometimes with the PAVN responding that the US claimed to have killed twice as many northern troops as were actually engaged in the battle being reported on.
In one Marine Corps class on using BDAs (“Bomb Damage Assessment” reports) for further targeting, I was told that I should always cut the numbers reported in half to even hopefully get a reasonably accurate picture of what actually happened. And another instructor (a Vietnam combat veteran) was even more dismissive. If the forward observer reports that you’re engaging a battalion and just killed a company, he said, assume you’re actually engaging a company and wounded two members of a single squad.
I liken it to the pentagon’s claim of exactly how many “terrorists” were killed in any particular location where there is no way on earth of collaborating that number. And amazingly they know there are never any civilians.
Ukraine doesn’t have the capacity to take back territory. If the AFU comes out of it’s bunkers, Russian artillery will slaughter them. Drawing out Ukrainian troops IS the Russian winning tactic. The former defense minister of Ukraine is an idiot.
Russia will harden targets, so the “deep war” won’t work either.
Que the song “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen.
Speaking of Ukrainian force projection, check out their Squeaky Fromme Brigade-
https://www.rt.com/news/561664-ukraine-us-resistance-concept/
Russia has a new third army group of 60,000 troops heading for the front in Ukraine.
Standby for a new offensive by Russia!!
Ukraine has lost 120,000 since the start of this operation and will likely lose another 100,000 by November.
The Russian plan is to time everything around winter to force a rapid military and political collapse. The US plan is to blame Zelinsky and vilify Putin over and over. Maybe someday Americans will reach their limit.