In recent days, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has picked up much more speed. Despite the recent successful territorial gains, however, Ukraine will not be able to achieve a key goal for this year.
US intelligence believes that the Ukrainian counteroffensive will not reach the important southeastern city of Melitopol, the Washington Post quotes people familiar with the relevant intelligence reports. If this assessment turns out to be correct, it would mean that Kiev will not achieve its main goal of cutting Russia’s land bridge to Crimea this year.
Russians are probably very effective in braking
The reason for this is likely to be Russia’s intensive preparations for the counter-attack – huge minefields and numerous trenches are apparently slowing down the Ukrainians very effectively. Now there is apparently concern that the West could heap blame on each other as to why the offensive is not proceeding as quickly as many expected, despite massive financial and material support.
In particular, the overwhelming success of the advance through the Kharkiv region last autumn has raised expectations. Melitopol is vital to Ukraine’s counteroffensive, as it is considered the gateway to Crimea. The city is located at the intersection of two major highways and a railway line, which are essential for Russian supplies.
Ukraine opted for alternative tactics
However, in the first week of the fighting, Ukraine suffered huge losses against the well-prepared Russian defenses, despite having a number of newly acquired Western equipment. Although scenarios from the US, Britain and Ukraine were already anticipating, the Ukrainian army decided to switch to tactics with smaller units advancing on different fronts.
Although progress was only made in smaller steps, there were also correspondingly fewer fallen soldiers. Nevertheless, it has not yet been possible to break through Russia’s main line of defense.
Foreign Minister: “We don’t care how long it takes”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba acknowledged on Thursday that Ukraine’s counteroffensive was progressing slowly, but said Kyiv would not stop fighting until the entire country was recaptured. “We don’t care how long it takes,” he said. He urged critics of the offensive to “join the Foreign Legion” if they wanted faster results. “It’s easy to say that you want everything to go faster when you’re not there,” he said.
Will the Battle of Bakhmut take revenge?
In addition, the Ukrainian army says that the schedule depends on how quickly the armed forces can penetrate the minefields – a difficult process that has strained the military’s resources for mine clearance in a large part of the territory.
In addition, Ukraine has invested months of soldiers and time in the battle for Bakhmut. Now there is concern that the excessive involvement in this may have undermined the effectiveness of the counteroffensive in the south.
