++++Sorry for the delay on this post but things spiraled and it was a small thing compared.++++
The counteroffensive Ukraine’s Eastern most regions has finally begun…..from all reports it is a bloody ordeal for both sides.
After all the equipment and a year’s worth of training and the Ukrainians are not as successful as they brag they would be…..
Western officials told CNN that Ukraine’s bloody counteroffensive is “not meeting expectations on any front” as Ukrainian forces are struggling to break through Russia’s defenses.
The report said that according to Western assessments, Russia’s lines of defense have been well fortified, and Russian forces have been able to bog down Ukrainian armored vehicles with missile strikes and minefields.
One official said Ukraine’s forces were “vulnerable” to Russia’s minefields and described the Russian defenses as “competent.” The officials stressed that the counteroffensive was still in its early stages and said they remained “optimistic” that Ukraine could eventually regain some territory.
Bloomberg reported that Ukrainian officials reported progress in the counteroffensive has halted. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the assault “is not an easy walk — this is not a Hollywood movie,” echoing comments made by President Volodymyr Zelensky a day earlier.
Zelensky acknowledged on Wednesday that the counteroffensive is going “slower than desired” but vowed Ukrainian forces would fight on. “No matter how far we advance in our counteroffensive, we will not agree to a frozen conflict because that is war, that is a prospectless development for Ukraine,” he said.
According to the Discord leaks and media reports, the US did not believe Ukraine could regain much territory, but the Biden administration pushed for the violent counteroffensive anyway and has rejected the idea of a ceasefire or peace talks.
If the US did not believe that Ukraine could be successful why would they push for a massive offensive?
Even Zelensky with all his censorship measures in place has admitted things are not going so well.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine’s counteroffensive is going “slower than desired” as Ukrainian forces have made little progress and are taking heavy losses.
“Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It’s not,” Zelensky told BBC in an interview published Wednesday. “What’s at stake is people’s lives.”
So far, Ukraine has claimed it captured eight small villages in the southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast and in the eastern Donetsk Oblast since the counteroffensive began earlier this month, minimal gains that have come at a high cost.
Zelensky said his forces were having difficulty because Russia had mined a lot of areas. “Whatever some might want, including attempts to pressure us, with all due respect, we will advance on the battlefield the way we deem best,” he said.
(antiwar.com)
Even officials in the Ukrainian defense forces have started admitting they will take less than they had originally anticipated.
Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive has been underway for over two weeks, and Kiev has little to show for the loss of life and military equipment expended the in the operations. On Monday, a Ukrainian military official attempted to lower expectations for the mission, as US lawmakers say future support for Kiev depends on whether it can reclaim territory from Russian forces.
In an interview with the Czech Current Time TV station Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov downplayed how much territory Kiev will retake in the counteroffensive. “The Russians had the opportunity to prepare. There is an incredible density of minefields,” he said. “Our officers, our commanders are maneuvering, look for opportunities, move carefully. I suggest not pushing them, not pushing them, they are doing their job. And they will do it.”
https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/kiev-aims-to-lower-expectations-for-counteroffensive/
There will be more from IST as the counteroffensive drags on and on….watch for it.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
The administration pushed for the offensive because the administration is old and dodgy and not all that far from complete senility.
The Administration pushed the offensive because they were told to do so. chuq
told to do so by whom?
Arms industry who do you think….it is about the dollars not the democracy.
without the arms industry Ukraine would have no way to defend their country –so it is about the democracy –but have it your own way–
Hardly surprising, given the huge amount of information that a counter offensive was planned, along with detailed maps of exactly where it would happen. Then the long delay enabled the Russians to build up a line of strong defensive positions long before any Ukrainian attacks commenced. Zelensky is reported as saying it’s because he doesn’t have fighter jets and bombers to cover the offensive. It is in his nature to keep asking for more weapons, but not delivering with those he has already been given.
Best wishes, Pete.
He has always said he needs more no matter how much he gets….the plane thing looks like a done deal for later this year…..so the plan is to keep the war going for as lo9ng as possible. chuq