Skip to main content

What Will Be Success For Ukraine In Their Counteroffensive?

A Ukrainian Leopard 2 tank and several Bradley fighting vehicles destroyed by the Russian forces in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region. © Telegram / Russia's Defense Ministry 

DNYUZ/New York Times: As Ukraine Launches Counteroffensive, Definitions of ‘Success’ Vary 

After months of anticipation, Ukraine’s forces — newly trained on complex warfare tactics and armed with billions of dollars in sophisticated Western weaponry — launched operations on multiple fronts in the past week in an effort to dislodge entrenched Russian military units, a counteroffensive that many officials in the United States and Europe say could be a turning point in the 15-month war. 

Much rides on the outcome. There is little doubt the new military drive will influence discussions of future support for Ukraine as well as debates about how to guarantee its future. What remains unclear, though, is exactly what the United States, Europe and Ukraine view as a “successful” counteroffensive.  

Read more ....  

Update: NYT outlines what Ukrainian counteroffensive 'success' means in the West (RT)  

WNU Editor: Before the launch of the counteroffensive early this week the expectation in Kyiv among my friends and contacts was that once Ukraine had launched their counteroffensive, Russian forces would do what they did in Kherson and Kharkiv last year. Withdraw their forces to safer and more defensible lines. In short .... their definition of success was Russian forces giving up the territory that they control in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, including giving up the land bridge to Crimea. 

Among the Ukraine government, their public definition of success was even more ambitious. The expectation was that by summer (i.e. a month from now) Ukraine forces would be in Crimea fighting Russian forces. 

After a week of heavy fighting .... these expectations have evaporated. 

After one week of heavy fighting that has claimed thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and the loss of countless tanks, armored vehicles, and other military vehicles, this is what Ukraine has to show for it's efforts .... Ukraine Retakes Villages in 'First Results' of Counterattack - Kyiv (Reuters). Capturing 3 small villages and advancing one kilometer in a few places after one week of fighting is not how I would define success. 

A prediction. 

If Ukraine does make sizeable gains in the coming 10 days so that they can show NATO before their Vilnius summit that they can succeed militarily against Russian forces, NATO's military leaders will publicly applaud Ukraine's efforts and call it a success, but privately say this was a failure (or worse).



from War News Updates https://ift.tt/wV8p6q0
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is Putin's Inner Circle Already In Discussions On Who Is Going To Replace Him?

Russian President Vladimir Putin leads a meeting on economic issues in Moscow on Monday. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)   Daily Beast: Putin’s Own Men Are Already Discussing Who Will Replace Him   Three months into Vladimir Putin’s bloody “special operation” in Ukraine, his own men in the Kremlin are reportedly discussing who will replace him.  That’s according to new reporting by the independent news outlet Meduza, which cited several sources close to the Russian presidential administration who said officials are increasingly fed up with Putin personally.  Some of Putin’s own allies within the Kremlin walls have reportedly floated the idea of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin becoming his successor, or former President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy chairman of the Security Council. Sergei Kirienko, the first deputy chief of staff of the presidential administration, was also said to have been discussed as a contender.   Read more ....   Update: Krem
Post a Comment
Read more

US And Russian Chiefs Of Staff Discuss Ukraine In Rare Phone Call

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley (left) and his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov (file photo)   The Hill: Milley speaks with Russian counterpart for first time since start of war   Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley spoke with his Russian counterpart on Thursday, the first such conversation between the two since the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine began in late February, according to the Pentagon.  Milley spoke by phone with Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian general staff, and they “discussed several security-related issues of concern and agreed to keep the lines of communication open,” Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a readout of the conversation.  The Pentagon did not provide further information on the conversation.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: So much for the reports last week that Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia Valery Gerasimov was fired by Putin last week .... Putin rumor
Post a Comment
Read more

US Secretary Of State Blinken Says China Is A Greater Long Term Threat Than Russia

  Daily Mail : 'US does NOT support Taiwan independence': Blinken cleans up Biden's comments in speech saying America doesn't want 'another Cold War' with Beijing and slamming Xi Jinping for cooperating with Putin and being more 'aggressive' abroad  * Sec. of State Antony Blinken issued a stark warning Thursday about China's rise  * Said Beijing's cooperation with Putin 'raises alarm bells' after Ukraine invasion  * Claims Xi Jinping is now 'more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad'  * Cleaned up Biden's Taiwan comments by saying US doesn't back independence  * Insisted U.S. Taiwan policy has not changed in decades, but he did warn against China trying to undermine the status quo  Sec. of State Antony Blinken issued a stark warning Thursday morning that the threat of China will 'test U.S. diplomacy like nothing we've ever seen before' - but insisted America does not want another Cold War and do
Post a Comment
Read more