Ukraine will ‘far miss’ its reconquest plans, according to US documents

According to a Washington Post report on data leaks from classified US documents, the US has doubts that Ukraine’s expected spring offensive in the defensive struggle against Russia will bring great success.

The Ukrainian army could change the original plans According to these documents, the reconquest of Russian-occupied territories is “far from the goal”, the newspaper wrote on Tuesday. The reason, therefore, is Kiev’s difficulties in increasing troops, ammunition and equipment.

Apparently, secret documents from US agencies about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine have been circulating on the Internet for weeks. American media have been reporting sensitive material about both warring parties for days without publishing the documents themselves. It is unclear who published the documents that were circulated on pro-Russian channels weeks ago. The US government is trying to provide clarity.

The newspapers revealed the US government’s concerns about the state of the war, the paper wrote. They could also embolden those critics who are calling for greater US and NATO efforts to reach a negotiated solution.

The assessment in the papers, which are marked top secret, is from early February and refers to “significant shortfalls in troop expansion and maintenance”. In addition, there is talk of the likelihood that the Ukrainian counter-offensive could only yield “modest territorial gains”. According to these documents, Kiev’s strategy is aimed at retaking disputed territories in the east, while pushing south to cut the Russian land bridge to the occupied Crimean peninsula.

The resilience of the Russian defense and the lack of training and ammunition on the Ukrainian side are likely to slow the progress of the offensive and inflict more casualties, it said.

Apart from the leaked papers, US intelligence advisers have concluded that the outcome of the expected Ukrainian spring offensive will be rather modest, the Washington Post continued, citing its own sources. Therefore, the Ukrainian army is not expected to be able to reclaim as many areas as it did last fall in the east and south of the country. (saw/sda/dpa)