US Officials Urging Ukraine to Change Strategy as Window for Success in Counteroffensive Narrows

Ukraine has a limited window left to make strategic gains in its faltering counteroffensive as men and war materiel runs thin, and Biden administration officials are urging Kyiv to alter its strategy, The New York Times reported, citing U.S. and Western officials.

Too many of Ukraine’s forces and top-tier combat units are concentrated to the north and east, where Bakhmut lies, instead of in the south, where Ukraine hopes to sever Russian supply lines and demolish the “land bridge” between Russia and occupied Crimea, the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the NYT. American military planners have advised Ukraine to reallocate forces toward Melitopol and Berdiyansk and be open to accepting more losses before weather conditions turn unfavorable in the fall.

Ukrainian commanders have divided troops and equipment in roughly equal amounts across both fronts, likely a legacy of Soviet military doctrine that called for even distribution of resources to minimize conflict between military factions, according to the NYT.

One U.S. official told the outlet Ukrainian troops are dispersed over too wide an area and need to hone in on a single strategic location.

Two officials briefed on a call between Ukraine’s senior military commander Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi and senior U.S. and British military leaders said Zaluzhnyi agreed, according to the NYT.

… to resource Ukraine in a war of attrition into 2024. And all sides—Ukr and partners—avoiding finger-pointing but also facing up to and learning from errors and missteps. More kit not the only answer. What, eg, does this mean for training programmes over next 18 months?

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) August 22, 2023

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