https://sputnikglobe.com/20230919/retired-german-colonel-crushes-wests-misplaced-hopes-for-ukraines-counteroffensive-1113505209.html
Retired German Colonel Crushes West’s Misplaced Hopes for Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
Retired German Colonel Crushes West’s Misplaced Hopes for Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
Sputnik International
Ukraine has expended up to 71,000 troops, hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles and tens of billions of dollars’ worth of Western-provided hardware and ammunition on its counteroffensive with seemingly little to show for it as far as Kiev and NATO’s strategic goals of retaking lost territory and “weakening Russia” are concerned.
2023-09-19T18:17+0000
2023-09-19T18:17+0000
2023-09-19T18:17+0000
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A retired Bundeswehr colonel and military expert has dismantled the outright lies and half-truths he says are being told in Western media about the “success” of Kiev’s counteroffensive.“We mustn’t forget one thing: that despite all the reports about successes that we keep hearing [from the Ukrainian side], what’s being talked about are tactical battles, local successes, we’re talking about two, three or even five kilometers of advance, which then at some point again go back to Russia’s control,” Colonel (ret.) Wolfgang Richter said in an interview with German media.On the front as a whole, no changes whatsoever in Ukraine’s favor have been observed, the military expert emphasized.Furthermore, Richter expects the intensity of hostilities to drop dramatically as weather conditions worsen a month to a month-and-a-half from now. Accordingly, the retired officer predicts that it will be next to impossible for Ukraine to achieve a breakthrough.Bogged Down CounteroffensiveUkraine’s summer counteroffensive began in earnest on June 4, with Ukrainian Armed Forces tanks, troops, artillery and whatever limited air power Kiev could muster pushed into attacking heavily entrenched and fortified, multi-layer defenses set up by Russian forces over the previous months. Ukraine’s offensive planners quickly learned the futility of sending large columns of ground forces with no air support against entrenched Russian positions, but continued the offensive anyway, with Russian President Vladimir Putin estimating last week that Ukraine had lost a staggering 71,000 troops killed since June.In addition to the horrific losses in manpower, Ukraine has burned through hundreds of armored vehicles in the past four+ months, including dozens of the highly-touted NATO-built main battle tanks like the Leopard 1, Leopard 2 and Challenger 2.The United States and its allies have committed over $175 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine to prop up its economy and keep the war machine going, with Western officials including EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell admitting casually that Kiev would last just “days” without the West’s support. In the US, a growing number of House Republicans have sought to challenge the Biden administration’s bottomless pit of spending on Ukraine.On Tuesday, GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that he would not automatically commit to further assistance to Kiev, and said he has “questions” for President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in the US to meet Biden and attend the UN General Assembly in New York. “What’s the accountability in the money we already gave? What is the plan for victory? I think that’s what the American people want to know,” McCarthy said.
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ukraine, russia, nato, west, counteroffensive, observer, bundeswehr, analysis, operations, misplaced hopes
ukraine, russia, nato, west, counteroffensive, observer, bundeswehr, analysis, operations, misplaced hopes
Retired German Colonel Crushes West’s Misplaced Hopes for Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
Ukraine has expended up to 71,000 troops, hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles and tens of billions of dollars’ worth of Western-provided hardware and ammunition on its counteroffensive with seemingly little to show for it as far as Kiev and NATO’s strategic goals of retaking lost territory and “weakening Russia” are concerned.
A retired Bundeswehr colonel and military expert has dismantled the outright lies and half-truths he says are being told in Western media about the “success” of Kiev’s counteroffensive.
“We mustn’t forget one thing: that despite all the reports about successes that we keep hearing [from the Ukrainian side], what’s being talked about are tactical battles, local successes, we’re talking about two, three or even five kilometers of advance, which then at some point again go back to Russia’s control,” Colonel (ret.) Wolfgang Richter
said in an interview with German media.
On the front as a whole, no changes whatsoever in Ukraine’s favor have been observed, the military expert emphasized.
“Crucially, we do not see any operational change in the overall situation, that is, the fronts are seeing minimal movement, but the strategic situation has actually remain unchanged for 12 months,” Richter said.
Furthermore, Richter expects the intensity of hostilities to drop dramatically as weather conditions worsen a month to a month-and-a-half from now. Accordingly, the retired officer predicts that it will be next to impossible for Ukraine to achieve a breakthrough.
“That doesn’t mean that the conflict will come to a standstill. Of course, the militaries on both sides will continue to operate, but under more difficult conditions,” Richter said, predicting fighting conditions in the coming months.
19 September 2023, 17:04 GMT
Bogged Down Counteroffensive
Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive began in earnest on June 4, with Ukrainian Armed Forces tanks, troops, artillery and whatever limited air power Kiev could muster pushed into attacking heavily entrenched and fortified, multi-layer defenses set up by Russian forces over the previous months. Ukraine’s offensive planners quickly learned the futility of sending large columns of ground forces with no air support against entrenched Russian positions, but continued the offensive anyway, with Russian President Vladimir Putin estimating last week that Ukraine had lost a staggering 71,000 troops killed since June.
“Right now, we won’t say whether it’s a failure or not, but there are no tangible results,” Putin
said.
In addition to the horrific losses in manpower, Ukraine has burned through hundreds of armored vehicles in the past four+ months, including dozens of the highly-touted NATO-built main battle tanks like the Leopard 1, Leopard 2 and Challenger 2.
The United States and its allies have committed
over $175 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine to prop up its economy and keep the war machine going, with Western officials including EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell admitting casually that Kiev would last just “days” without the West’s support. In the US, a growing number of House Republicans have sought to challenge the Biden administration’s bottomless pit of spending on Ukraine.
On Tuesday, GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
announced that he would not automatically commit to further assistance to Kiev, and said he has “questions” for President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in the US to meet Biden and attend the UN General Assembly in New York. “What’s the accountability in the money we already gave? What is the plan for victory? I think that’s what the American people want to know,” McCarthy said.
19 September 2023, 14:33 GMT
