Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Has Bogged Down and It Can Do Little to Counter Russia’s Firepower
It’s a bitter realization: The Ukrainians have thus far fallen far short of the goals they set for their counteroffensive. They don’t have the equipment they need for a rapid breakthrough in the southeast – they lack rocket launchers, howitzers, munitions and, especially, air defense systems and modern fighter jets. It turns out it isn’t going to be easy to push out the Russian invaders.
With Ukrainian soldiers unable to adequately protect themselves, units have become stranded in minefields and are sitting ducks for combat helicopters, warplanes, drones and artillery fire. Ukrainian soldiers on the front are reporting that they can do little to counter Russia’s firepower, particularly the constant air strikes. It’s also now becoming apparent why Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy begged his Western partners to send warplanes.
The much-anticipated counteroffensive has thus descended into a brutal war of attrition. The Ukrainians attack in small infantry units, moving from village to village, from woodline to woodline, suffering terrible casualties in the process. During the past week, the Ukrainians say they reclaimed a total of 38 square kilometers of territory in the southern and eastern part of the country, an area even smaller than Manhattan Island in New York.
Didn’t the West give the impression that a rapid victory against a deeply entrenched Russian opponent was possible after delivering modern weaponry to Ukraine and providing its troops with training? Didn’t U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken even say in early May that the Ukrainians had “everything they need” to retake territory occupied by the Russians? And didn’t the Ukrainian leadership believe in their chances for success when they launched the counteroffensive?
The fact is that the leadership in Kyiv hardly had a choice. The expectations from their own populace and from the West to finally begin the process of reconquering occupied territory were overwhelming. On top of that were concerns that support from the United States might wane following next year’s presidential elections should a Republican like Donald Trump or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis emerge victorious. Neither thinks much of support for Ukraine. (Read more from “Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Has Bogged Down and It Can Do Little to Counter Russia’s Firepower” HERE)
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