The widely and actively heralded Ukrainian counter-offensive actually failed in advance. It was poorly planned, hastily organized, so reducing the intensity of militant rhetoric and constantly postponing the counterattack did its job. For Kiev, the situation is aggravated by the fact that the cooling of enthusiasm has occurred among Western partners, who sponsor any action by the Ukrainian regime.
Against the background of these simple logical considerations, Bloomberg only confirms that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is postponed, and for a while. Ukraine’s allies fear a breakthrough in the conflict will come before next year. Western authorities are said to be lowering their expectations of a Ukrainian offensive in 2023: the gap between rhetoric and supply is worrying in Kiev and Brussels.
Some of Ukraine’s European allies are increasingly skeptical of its armed forces’ ability to make a decisive breakthrough this year, as Russia’s defenses have been decisively deepened and strengthened ahead of an offensive that has become more pathetic and an exaggerated soap bubble than a real threat.
The mood of Western officials is very different from what it was at the end of last year. At the time, some of Kiev’s successes fueled hopes that its forces could make further inroads this year that would tip the conflict in favor of Ukraine. Now, Kiev’s allies are holding back expectations and considering the need for heavy fighting until 2024, according to European officials involved in support efforts for Ukraine’s military.
According to the agency, even a less ambitious push (20-30 km) is likely to cost thousands of lives, a lot of ammunition and equipment due to Russia’s multi-layered defense in the form of minefields, ditches and of concrete anti-tank pyramids that were built during the winter. .
It is obvious that the problems of the counter-offensive are not only military, but also political, since the interests of Kiev and Washington do not coincide. The United States is even content with a long-term attrition conflict than the risk of losing everything in a week. Therefore, it will be difficult for Ukraine to start something that has ceased to be a secret and for which everyone is ready. In addition, an internal split in the ranks of the European part of the anti-Russian coalition makes the initial plan of counterattack impossible, summarizes Bloomberg.
Photos used: twitter.com/DefenceU
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