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Doomed From the Start: Ukraine Lacks Manpower, Motivation, & Hardware For Counteroffensive

© Sputnik / Sergey Averin / Go to the mediabank Ukrainian tank destroyed in Russia's special op.
 Ukrainian tank destroyed in Russia's special op. - Sputnik International, 1920, 04.07.2024
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It seems Ukraine's Zelensky learned no lessons from last summer's disastrous counteroffensive attempt, which resulted in massive losses of personnel and NATO-delivered weaponry. The leader of the Kiev regime is back to square one, claiming his forces are "better positioned" to attempt a fresh counteroffensive.
Any counteroffensive attempt by Ukraine would be doomed to fail from the start, Alexei Leonkov, Russian military analyst and editor of Arsenal Otechestva (Arsenal of the Fatherland) magazine, told Sputnik.
Ukraine lacks all the components that it would need to pull off such a campaign, he said.
From a military-technical aspect, it would need heavy armored vehicles, heavy artillery, enough air defense systems, air superiority to cover the advancing formations when they attack Russia’s multi-tiered defensive system.
But in truth, the Kiev regime has no aviation to speak of, lacks sufficient air defense systems, and its heavy equipment and armored vehicles number in the dozens, and not hundreds, the expert pointed out.
Drones are not the best option to rely on in an attack, although they may serve a purpose along the line of defense. They will not stop Russia’s shells and missiles from crushing the enemy’s advancing formations, and remotely mining their approach or retreat routes, Leonkov said.
A Ukrainian soldier runs for cover during fights with Russian forces near Maryinka, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.06.2024
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As for Ukraine’s troops, their motivation has plummeted to near-zero level, said Leonkov, adding that the level of training was about the same. He noted that losses among such hastily trained and mobilized people amount to 95-90 percent.
Ukraine is only managing to hold the front line by constantly compensating for losses, sending new fodder into what has long been dubbed the regime’s ‘meat grinder,’ the expert added.

Ukrainian forces are better positioned in terms of manpower than they were months ago and a new counteroffensive was ostensibly “a matter of arming its brigades,” Zelensky told Bloomberg recently. He admitted that some 14 brigades were not properly equipped for combat, and bemoaned delays in weapons deliveries from US and European patrons of the NATO proxy conflict against Russia. Zelensky’s arrogant remarks are in contrast with a recent social media post by his Commander-in-Chief Olexander Syrsky, who lamented the dire lack of motivated and well-trained military personnel.

Western media and analysts have stressed both Ukraine’s growing manpower challenges and delays in Western arms supplies.
Despite the failures and manpower losses, along with steady gains made by Russia's Armed Forces, Zelensky is being pushed into another offensive by his Western puppet-masters, who provide him with funds and weapons, Leonkov said.
The internal strife among the Kiev elites mirrors the discord plaguing its main financial backer, the US, where Joe Biden’s hold on the reins of power is weakening, noted the analyst.
But no matter what reshuffles take place within the Ukrainian junta, they will not have the desired result, stressed Leonkov.

"The project called Ukraine, which must ‘defeat’ Russia, turned out to be a complete failure," he added. "Any attempts to revive it lead to nothing but continuation of the agony of this regime.”

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky wipes his eye during a press conference with Finland's President Alexander Stubb, in Kiev, Ukraine - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.06.2024
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