“That was my mistake,” words you don’t often hear from a general. The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valery Zalushny, is now speaking bluntly about the counter-offensive. His judgment should not please his President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“There will most likely not be a deep and beautiful breakthrough,” he admits bluntly in an article for the British magazine The Economist. In other words, further progress can hardly be expected. The ground war in Ukraine has come to a standstill – and the Ukrainian commander-in-chief Saluzhnyj sees this as a major danger.
Ukrainian army chief Saluschnyj is not very optimistic
According to him, the bloody fighting would ultimately benefit only one side: Russia. This would allow the Russian army to gain time and rebuild its military effectiveness.
Only a technological leap could offer a way out of this trench warfare, the general explains. “Trench warfare takes a long time and entails enormous risks for the armed forces of Ukraine and for the state.” Stagnation on the battlefield only helps Russia to compensate for the losses of its army.
He himself admits that he made a mistake.
You probably can’t let Russia dry up
Saluzhny himself assumed that it would be possible to bleed Putin’s troops dry – believing that even in Russia the supply of troops would dry up at some point. However, Russia is far superior to Ukraine militarily and economically in terms of numbers.
He admits he was completely wrong: “Russia has suffered at least 150,000 dead soldiers. In any other country in the world, such losses would have ended the war.” The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense currently estimates the number of Russian troop losses at more than 300,000 soldiers. Ukraine’s information cannot be independently verified.
According to British military experts, both sides are making little progress with their offensives in Ukraine. This is evident from the daily intelligence update from the Ministry of Defense in London. The Ukrainian advance in the south is “relatively static” between two well-prepared Russian defensive positions. At the same time, a large-scale Russian attack near the city of Avdiivka in the eastern Donbass region came to a halt despite strong Ukrainian defenses.
But Zalushnyj warns in “The Economist”: “Russia should not be underestimated.” The enemy has lost many soldiers and Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is shying away from general mobilization. But Ukraine also has problems building up reserves. The circle of men subject to military service must be expanded.
In contrast to the recapture of large areas last year, Ukrainian hopes of conquering territory have hardly been fulfilled this summer. However, Ukrainian defenders have weakened Russian positions in Crimea and driven the Russian Navy out of the western Black Sea. Zelensky and his leaders maintain the liberation of all occupied territories as the war goal.
But an ex-advisor to the Ukrainian president also doubts this.
Zelensky’s ex-adviser calls for negotiations
For a long time, Oleksiy Arestovych was considered a close advisor to Zelensky. In January 2023, he quit due to conflicts with Zelensky’s environment. According to “Stern,” he left Ukraine in early September and now lives in Europe and the US. He claims that Ukraine’s political leadership is politically persecuting him.
In an interview with ‘Stern’ he is now critical of the war in Ukraine. ‘We are at a dead end. It is time to sit at the negotiating table,” he says. He shares Saluzhny’s view that Ukraine is descending into trench warfare.
He says:
According to him, Commander-in-Chief Zalushny has de facto declared the end of the offensive. “The impasse, and it is a bloody impasse, is clear,” he explains. According to him, victory is not possible without the necessary support from the West. Recently, a report in Time sparked discussions about Zelensky’s “lonely struggle.”
Zelenskyj faces major challenges
«No one believes in our victory as much as I do. Nobody,” Zelensky emphasized in an interview with “Time.” But he believes global interest in the war has waned. This also applies to international support. It will be more difficult.
“The most frightening thing is that part of the world has become accustomed to the war in Ukraine“, he explained. The fatigue of the war hits like a wave. You see it in the US, in Europe.
Public support for aid to Ukraine is increasingly declining, especially in the US. According to a Reuters poll in October, 41 percent of Americans want Congress to supply more weapons to Kiev. In June, when Ukraine launched a major counter-offensive, that figure was still 65 percent. The mood within Congress is also increasingly changing, making it difficult for US President Joe Biden to push through his aid packages for Ukraine.
(With material from dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
