Newsweek reported on Wednesday that Ukrainian leadership is divided on what steps to take amid Ukraine’s stalling counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Citing sources familiar with the discussions, the report said that officials within the presidential office want to consolidate Ukraine’s small gains and prepare for a Russian offensive that’s expected in the fall or winter. Officials within the military high command, including Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny, want to keep pressing forward.
“On the military side, you have Zaluzhny and others—but obviously he’s in command—who want to keep pushing. There are some questions on the political side about whether that makes the most sense right now. Or does it make sense to consolidate where possible in some areas, and relieve pressure on supply lines and stockpiles?” a source close to the Ukrainian government told Newsweek.
The source said that some Ukrainian officials felt the military misled them about their chances of success. “There’s a sense that they were misled by the military in terms of how well this counteroffensive would go, that they were provided with overly rosy assessments from the military side,” the source said. “And they’re unhappy about that.”
The report comes as US and other Western officials are being more candid about the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, with some calling the counteroffensive a failure and others saying it’s very unlikely to succeed. Zaluzhny has hit back at the criticism, saying Ukraine’s Western backers need to be more patient.
Notably, the Newsweek report did not mention if anyone at high levels of the Ukrainian government is thinking about negotiations with Russia to end the war. Publicly, Ukrainian officials have maintained their demands for peace are a full Russian withdrawal and for Russia to give up Crimea, conditions that are a non-starter for talks with Moscow.
As I usually do, I go back to the Battle of Kursk. Even as it became clear that the Germans had stalled at Prokhorovka in the South and in the North too, General von Manstein kept pushing for new offensives near Kharkov.
Zaluzhny is the Ukrainian von Manstein.
Von Manstein did not get his new offensive because his army was needed for the defense of the certain-to-come Soviet winter-offensive.
I know that this is only an analogy but analogies do not have to be identical.
At least, some in Washington are waking up to reality but President Biden appears to be stuck in his funk-dream of Ukraine winning which has nothing to do with reality.
The longer he and NATO postpone the inevitable, the harsher Putin’s condition will be.
My thoughts are with the brave people of Ukraine who have been so terribly misled and betrayed by their leaders.
Dieter,
This is a good geographical analogy because the Russians are currently using a similar “defense in depth” defensive strategy that worked for them in Kursk. Also, the same time during the year with the winter season approaching as well.
The Russians know a defensive war very well and have a proven history with it.
It’s unfortunate that USA/NATO hasn’t learned this and has zero cultural appreciation for this actual history and, for that, will lead to the unfortunate demise of Ukraine.
Maybe Zelinsky, in a final & desperate attempt, can follow Hitler’s lead and promote his field staff to ‘Field Marshall’ like he did with Friedrich Paulus?
People deserve the government they elect.
In this case Zelensky lied to the Ukrainian people saying he wanted to abide by the Minsk Accords and have better relations with Russia. The people were voting against Poroshenko, another demon also. What choice did they have that was good?
“Democracy ” is the easiest way for the powerful to control a population. Make the population believe they are being represented. They aren’t.
Those that vote for these cretins do. I don’t.
Governments tend to be in the betrayal business.
My thoughts are with Ukrainian vast majority that voted the clown into the ioffice because he promissed the end of fighting in the east and normalizing relations with Russia. With his background, and being Russian speaker with
Russian wife – they expected the end of Banderistas rule in Kiev. They found out that he is a full blown glibalist that understood — as American officials ars now admitting — that he was determined to throw them into the battles expecting thm to die. And thin out the youth of Rusdian speaking Orthodox population. With the severe intolerance of Ukrainian Russian speakers, the cultural and physical genocide is taking place. It is obvious, not hidden at all l, yet in all commentary danced around.
We cannot run away from this. We are sikently condoning this. We have been sold a bag of goids thatv”Russians” in Ukraine are introders, and good Ukrainians —,whoever they are — are the victims. As most readers know nothing about history, it is an easy sell.
This conflict is about demonizing 2/3 of population of Russian speaking Christian Orthodox population and pisiting that there is “real” Ukrainian language, a language formerly called Ruthenian, and today a Polish-Russian dialect. This is the language of Western Ukraine’s predominantly Catholic population. Even President Zelenski does not soeak it well. It is embarrasing for him to kead the campaign against Russian culture and language, a culture he was part of.
But all these disturbing acts of cultital represdiin with all the accimpanying tragedies ofvreal people, senseless deaths, property theft, jub losses, disapoearances or accussations of treason — do not register here or anywhere in the West. Hitler’s spirit has clearly not been exircised from Western culture that too easily provides excuses to get rid of undesirable populations and provide “elbow room” for their favorites.
It is open genocide, in our face genocide, nit hidden in the least. Yet we swallliw it all, in the name of some bigerv geopolitical picture.
Butvit is no longer hidden that “it was expected” to lose senselessly all those unwilling recruits. What a pathetic military explanation was given for ssnding people into death?
I kniw what tge motivation is, Kiev minds are not too hard to read. One dimensional. They are placing a lots of faith into cognitive restructuring of Ukrainian Orthodix majority. The more of them die from Russian weapons theory goes — they will start hating Russians. And in this hate unite Ukraine.
Anybody asked population for their opinion? Zelnski and his mentors are getting greedy by shutting down the real Ukrainian Orthodox chiurch and imprisoned its head — and this in theiry will “help” Ukrainians transition to State founded Orthodox Church of Ukraine. And to make sure this state church is orthodox only in its name – a law passed observing Christmas on December 25, Westernizing its calendar.
Will it help transition unwilling Ukrainians to tge “West”, or even further derpen the split between the Western Catholic Ukraine from the rest of it?
Keeping in mind that — despite certain attractiveness of closer ties with the West, most of Ukrainian many other Eastern or orthodox minorities take a dim view of Western Ukraine BanderistavCatholucs rulung the country. These include Georgians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Cossaks, Armnenians, Tatars, Alans, Cypriots, Romanians, Russins, Moldavans, Macedonians and Serbians. Even Catholic Hungarians are very disturbed by linguistic and cultural repression,
Zelenski is confidently floating atop of the boiling cauldron. Still confident that the West will deluver him his version of Palestinian problem, so indtead of sending his unsesirables into meat grinder, he can insure they remain without any political rights in peace, and hasten their flught into Russia, Ukrainians may have been docile so far, being unsure of what future holds. Now their position is even more precarious. With Zelenski regime very predictably being unable to show progress, escallation West (US and vasals) wants has to come from without Ukrainian borders. Is Poland persuadable? Or will West choreographed spectacle steal the show? Either way, not a happy prospect for Ukrainians.
While I do not claim to have insights into West Ukrainian pooular thinking – I cannot see why this population would want to be a pawn in the big game of “Ukrainization” while all it ever wanted was to survive. Its identity was endangered long ago by Austro-Hungarian plans, Polish plans, and then oppresive Soviet rule. They fell for Hitler as it apoeared to be their ticket to salvation from Soviet Union. Hitler was not kind to their ideas of independence. As an Austrian, he saw this region belinging rightfully to Austria. Hitler eventualky imprisoned Bandera. Again and again, their loyalty is being asked for in the service of bigger causes — but always losing their own very modest goals. And in the process createdv enemies all around — Ukrainians, Poles, Hungarians, Belarusians.
I know this much — the last thing Lvov wants is to be reengineered again into some new version of Polish -Lithuanian fwderation. Or ever see Polish army on its territory. Their best chance is to abandon serving globalists like Zelenski and negotiate independence. Being size of Slovakia, it has just as good a chance of being viable.
Ironically, theit allies do not want them independent but be a well managed part of a larger EU entity. Like Poland. But knowing the resistance to this obvious solution — fancy neo Lithuanian-Polish -Ukrainian federacy is floated., Lvov would be imensely thick ifvtgey do not snell Polush (Vatican) schema.
And even mire ironically, Russia could offer more. Soviet past proved the futility of forcing Lvov into Ukraine. This will not be repeated.
But Zelenski is seen as a reincarnation of Trotsky and cannot give up on globalist dreams of whatever -ism is its future. It is the power that matters, not any -ism, a lical spice in the spirit if the time. And in this — he has many fervent supporters in US, the descendents of American Trotskyite Mexican era movement.
Whatever happens in Kiev wil decide the fate of Ukraine. And whatever happens in Washington will decide tge fate of Kiev. And whatever happens in Misciw and Beining will decide tge fate of Washington. All connected vessels.
WOW… What a Tour D’Force Bianca. Somehow I missed it just after you wrote it, but I have copied it to re-read & re-read… I don’t think there is anyone commenting on this that is as articulate & as knowledgeable as you these days. Raymond was the star, and Danny Larsson has flashes of greatness in my opinion, but he has to survive which takes him other places. With his war experience I think he could almost Justin in freshness and vigor.
The wheels of the proxy war wagon are coming off ……
If we are hearing about recriminations within Ukraine it appears the trend is moving towards an end of this war.
The “united front” that nations have when at war is over and the next stage has begun.
IMO there won’t be a war-end bc 2 reasons:
1. The Biden/Blinken admin doesn’t want: too much political capital (and corruption) invested into Ukraine and too many profits from forcing Europe into de-facto colony status (can only buy from USA and those Washington approves).
2. Russia’s demands are not something Ukraine or the USA can concede to… unless utterly defeated. NATO is saying: “make territorial concesions and the rest of Ukraine will get into NATO” and that’s exactly what Russia can’t accept: they want the land concesions but more than anything else they want to keep NATO out of Ukraine (guaranteed neutrality and denazification = purge of the NATOist deep state).
“Utterly defeated”
has so many meanings….
True, my wording. What I meant was that Russia “needs” to force the hand of Ukraine enough so it concedes to all three of their demands. It may well take many years…
So Ukraine will fight on in gorilla groups or something similar once they burn through kids and elderly men which is their current new recruit class that they pulled off the streets?
They simply do not have the men to do what share.
Not sure what you mean, sorry. Reminds me of when Hitler wanted his men to become a guerrilla behind Soviet lines… he got no volunteers whatsoever, they all wanted to fight in uniform under Geneva Convention but not as “terrorists” with no legal protection whatsoever. Guerrillas rely on being on the right moral side and having the support of the locals, you can’t do guerrilla in hostile country and all Donbass (and many other parts of Ukraine) is hostile territory.
They do have the men but they are all in hiding for what I read, they even avoid work apparently: some metallurgic businessman complained that no matter how much he offered his workers, they would not go to work for fear of being recruited (and thus end dead or worse at the frontline). Can you imagine half a country hiding from their own government? That’s why it’s apparent that the war is totally lost for Ukraine, they are running out of actual fighting-capable units as we speak, they’re even spending the nazi death squads, the “punisher” brigades that murder the deserters…
… and they are anyhow making lesser advances in the Zaporozhia front, but it’s clearly unsustainable and all should crack if Russia really makes a sustained offensive with a modicum of strategy and good tactics.
In the West they are realizing that and the reaction is to give Ukraine more “toys” like those F-16 that need perfect air strips to even get to fly at all and that need apparently a whole year of training (half of it learning English for what they say). It’s surely a case of too little, too late: how did the Pentagon expect to win an offensive as ambitious (and predictable) as this one without air superiority or at least some sort of parity? It’s impossible. Ukraine has tried everything, has definitely improved its tactics in these months… but has achieved only very limited gains (at huge cost).
Who say`s Putin`s forces are going to launch a offensive ?, Putin`s military are dug in behind a massive all most impregnable defensive line , all the Russian have to do is keep killing Ukrainians with artillery , missiles , bombs ect ect until Ukraine runs out of men .
It’s official: they have already proclaimed the beginning of a counter-offensive and seems it’s centered around Kupyansk, where they have been making gains for some weeks and got the Ukies very nervous about.
Just killing doesn’t work, bc Ukraine has essentially endless reserves in terms of manpower. Much more important is to destroy the gear and the ammo depots.
Also for morale reasons and in order to force the enemy’s hand when negotiations finally begin (not this year anyhow), Russia needs to make gains and at least take more areas in Donetsk PR and Kharkov oblast. The more they can occupy, the better their negotiating position and the greater the popularity of Putin, Shoigu and Gerasimov.
The real question is how do they define a win.
They can’t win the expansive aims currently asserted from a defensive stance. They won’t get there in that way.
The can’t win, meaning survive combat, unless they go to a defensive. They are overmatched in every way, and the assaults are suicidal.
They knew that. They squared that circle with with propaganda, pretending that the Russian Army would collapse, just run away in a panic, or that Russia would overthrow Putin in favor of a peacenik who would give it up.
Actually, the Russian Army never ran away, even in the 2022 offensives they lied about claiming it had. There was no prospect of that really happening.
Actually, if anyone overthrew Putin, it would be in favor of someone far worse for Ukraine. The only real opposition is demanding the utter destruction of Ukraine, gloves off.
So the circle was squared with lies. Those highest in our government leading on telling us these lies knew they were lies.
AFAIK Russia already declared the beginning of their counter-offensive and infos from the Kupyansk are indicate that Ukrainians, incl. Gral Sirsky (the only high commander of Ukraine we know for sure that is alive), who visited the sector and was not smiling at all, are extremely worried about the alredy quite impressive Russian advance towards that city.
When a nasty imperial propaganda rag like Noiseweak post something like that, you can safely assume that there is major friction within imperial regime.
Useful news if true.
That divided side needs to bump off the delusional CIA cronies and go to the table. Stop the bleeding or run out of blood.
Talk about stalling. Not long ago Zaluzhny said something to the effect of, May God forgive me, if I’ve made the wrong decision in regards to throwing so many untrained men into the defense of Bakhmut and that it was a “stalling tactic” to make time for the offensive. 50,000 casualties for a stalling tactic that leads to a stalled offensive, not a great record is it? Can he admit he was wrong to send these men to their deaths for nothing? It would be very hard, wouldn’t it?
Right now, the best Russia can hope for out of this offensive, is if it doesn’t end until Ukraine has lost the majority of it’s mechanized forces. Ukraine can try to hold their defensive lines with territorial defense members but I have a feeling that the Ukrainian people might be getting tired of losing untrained men, who are dragged off the streets, to take the place of trained men, who were wasted on an offensive that the West is now claiming to know, was bound to fail.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s thinking about how much harder it would be for Russia to go on the offensive this fall, if Ukraine had all this gear and all the trained men they just lost, ready and waiting instead of dead and buried.
Russia is very close to having pulled off a massive “Rope a Dope” and if Ukraine continues, that’s exactly what this will turn into. Russia will come off the ropes and start swinging at a tired punched out fighter. My question is whether or not they will attempt to play “tag team” and call in their partner Poland or if they will throw away a million lives “Stalling” again, it’s going to take one or the other to stop Russia this time. They have a quarter of a million men who they have been training who still haven’t been committed to the war and don’t be surprised if Wagner doesn’t come back as well.
By the way, I believe Wagner was moved to Belarus for one reason, it’s an area where they can retrain and refit, while NOT under threat from drone strikes, etc. Even inside of Russia they could be hit, especially if they are refitting close enough to be called in quickly. In Belarus they can train in the open without fear of losing anyone and it’s close enough that they can be made quickly available too. It’s the same advantage that Ukraine has when they fly their troops out of the country for training. If they were training in Ukraine they would have to constantly worry about being hit, which is probably why they rush so many men to the front will little or no training. Why lose them before you can use them, especially if they are just being used as cannon fodder.