class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>
Things are not going well for Ukraine at the end of the third winter of the war. After capturing the strategically important town of Avdiivka almost two weeks ago, the troops of Vladimir Putin (71) are advancing surprisingly quickly. In February alone, the Russian invaders conquered an area of 138 square kilometers. That is almost as big as Liechtenstein – and as much land mass as the Russians were last able to conquer in a month at the beginning of 2023. The reasons for the success are diverse – and surprising.
The US is still blocking further aid deliveries. Ukraine must use its ammunition extremely sparingly. And the upcoming spring thaw, which will once again turn the ground in eastern Ukraine into an impassable muddy landscape, is also likely to further embolden the Kremlin’s victory-hungry warmongers. Further reports of success – no matter how much Russian blood they have won – come just in time for Putin, shortly before the Russian presidential election on March 17.
But there is another factor that makes the Russian winter storm at the beginning of the third year of the war so dangerous: old Soviet bombs, which are equipped in Russian workshops with modern navigation systems and sliding fins.
Putin’s new air war strategy
The bringers of death, loaded with up to 1,000 kilograms of explosives, fly up to 30 kilometers and are extremely difficult for Ukrainian air defenses to stop due to their short flight time. Egor Sugar, a soldier from the Third Assault Brigade, an elite Ukrainian unit, describes the effect of the Russian glide bombs on Where there used to be houses, only potholes remain after the impact.”
The glide bombs are fired by Russian fighter jets. Putin has used his flying squadrons very sparingly lately, apart from the intensive phase at the beginning of the war. In recent weeks, however, experts at the American Institute of War Sciences have noted an increased Russian willingness to take risks regarding fighter jets. “Russia appears willing to lose more pilots to carry out hover bomb attacks,” the institute wrote in a March 3 assessment.
The Ukrainians managed to shoot down seven Russian fighter jets last week alone. But the glide bomb campaign is working. “The Russians are really becoming rebellious,” an anonymous Ukrainian frontline soldier told Blick. Recently, the Russians have also set their sights on targets in the Donbass cities of Kostiantynivka and Khasiv Yar, which had previously been relatively spared. If the Russians manage to take these cities, it would be another major success for Putin after the fall of Avdiivka.
Expert says: Putin is more confident than he has been in a long time
Dara Massicot, Russia expert at the American Carnegie Foundation for International Peace, interprets the recent glide bomb attacks as a sign of Russian confidence. “The Kremlin would not do anything that could go wrong so close to the elections,” Massicot wrote in a recent assessment.
Ukraine itself has also been relying on glide bombs from French weapons manufacturers for some time. And from June it can finally expect an effective antidote against Russian glider bombers with Danish-supplied F-16 fighter jets. The dry period until then will be infinitely more difficult for the desecrated land.
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.
