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This is not how Ukraine imagined the second anniversary of the war: instead of success stories, horror stories about the fall of the small town of Avdiivka are doing the rounds. The bloody victory of the Russians in the years-long battle for the coal city is a symbolic great success for Vladimir Putin (71).
The Battle of Avdiivka showed the world three unpleasant truths about the war in Ukraine:
1
The morale of Ukrainians is falling
Russians and Ukrainians have been fighting over Avdiivka since Russia’s invasion of Donbass in 2014. Thousands of Ukrainians have died defending the city. Viktor (26), a soldier from the 110th Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, tells Blick through an interpreter on site that he and his unit had to hold a position in the city for 620 days in a row – without a break. “There was no rotation, almost no one got time off. “It was not only mentally tough, we were also physically completely out of shape,” says the soldier.
Viktor and the other survivors of the battle are particularly affected by the fate of six wounded colleagues who they had to leave behind in their shelter in Avdiivka. “We were promised they would be taken out. We believed in it until the end.” As the Russians came closer and one of Viktor’s colleagues called for help by telephone, the commander said to him: “Leave the wounded there, burn everything.”
The bodies of the six men are seen in a video that emerged the day after Avdiivka was captured. Russian soldiers executed them. An army spokesman denied reports to Blick that hundreds of Ukrainians had been captured by the Russians during the capture of Avdiivka.
Nevertheless, the fall of Avdiivka shows how overwhelmed the Ukrainian frontline soldiers are by the extreme situation on the front – and how much President Volodymyr Zelensky (46) lacks new soldiers who could replace the tired troops. The new wave of recruitment requested by the armed forces, which should bring in 500,000 new recruits, is currently blocked in the Ukrainian parliament.
2
The Russians continue to use zombie tactics
How many Russians had to lose their lives to conquer the town remains a mystery. Russian military blogger Andrei Morozov († 44), who committed suicide this week, spoke of at least 16,000 deaths since October. Ukrainian forces claim around 47,000 Russians were killed or injured in the storming of the Donbass city.
One thing is clear: according to Bakhmut, the Russian tactic of “human waves” also worked in Avdiivka. Without fear of losses, the Russian commanders sent their men into battle. At some point, the tired Ukrainian soldiers were no longer able to stop the repeated waves of attacks. Russia has three times as many inhabitants as Ukraine. Putin can continue to use the extreme tactics of human waves for a long time.
3
Ukraine lacks a crucial instrument
There was a success story for Ukraine this week: Denmark sends its entire artillery arsenal to Kiev. But that alone is not enough to stop the Russians. For months, Ukrainian frontline positions have had to use their ammunition extremely sparingly, while the Russians – upgraded by their friends in North Korea and Iran, among others – shoot at everything that moves.
Private fundraising campaigns by Ukrainian soldiers to raise money for new drones, vehicles or night vision goggles are commonplace. “We all know we have to do our part to have a chance,” says soldier Viktor.
What Ukraine lacks most are sufficient air defense assets. As Putin personally inaugurated four new Tu-160 supersonic fighter-bombers in Russia, Ukrainian troops in Avdiivka had to watch helplessly as Russian fighter jets fired huge glide bombs into the city from a safe distance. Ukraine simply had nothing to fight the bombings.
If the West continues to hesitate and the new American aid package for Ukraine remains blocked in the American parliament, Ukraine will not be able to defend itself against the oncoming Russians for much longer.
Source: Blick
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.
