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| Sergey Shestak/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images |
In looming offensive, Kyiv will want Western backers to see it can maintain pressure on Moscow’s forces
Ukraine’s armed forces are preparing for one of the most daunting undertakings any military can attempt: dislodging an entrenched enemy.
Kyiv’s forces achieved that last fall, but haven’t advanced since. Now their challenge in attacking dug-in Russian forces is even greater because, given the pace of Western arms shipments, its troops are less well-armed than their leaders would like.
“The stakes are high,” said Mark Kimmitt, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general who commanded artillery units. “With little battlefield progress and declining attention worldwide, the Ukrainians must break out of the current stalemate or face increased calls for a cease-fire and negotiations.”
But if Ukraine’s army can beat back gains by Russia’s invasion forces and position itself for further advances, it will regain the initiative, boost civilian morale, and win further support and military assistance from the U.S. and its allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and others have talked extensively about the looming campaign to push Russian troops from the 18% of the country they control, but its timing, location and shape remain closely guarded secrets—and may even not have been decided yet. Strategists observing the preparations say they expect the push in May or June.
How the assault unrolls will be determined by a limited number of variables, say Ukrainian officials. “The counteroffensive is a concrete mathematical calculation,” said presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview.
Three factors dominate plans, he said: The availability of equipment and troops, and the destruction of Russian assets before a large-scale operation. “The main result is a breakthrough of the defensive line, in any of the directions” Ukrainian forces push, Mr. Podolyak said. --->READ MORE HERE
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| REUTERS |
Ukraine is ramping up for its highly anticipated spring offensive, powered by a huge arsenal of tanks and other weapons being delivered by Western allies, along with newly organized brigades.
“The frontline is priority number one. We are also actively preparing new brigades and units that will show themselves at the front,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address.
“Everyone in Ukraine must understand that the main task of the state is the de-occupation of our territories, the return of our lands and our people from Russian captivity.”
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an alliance of 54 nations working to assist Kyiv against Russia’s invasion, has delivered over 230 tanks and 1,550 armored vehicles “in just a few short months,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday.
Austin noted that Ukraine has received a bevy of equipment and ammunition to support more than nine new armored brigades.
The US has also accelerated the timeline to ship M1 Abrams tanks to train and aid Ukrainian fighters.
“All of this is huge progress, and I am confident that this equipment and the training that accompanied it — it will put Ukraine’s forces in a position to continue to succeed on the battlefield,” he said.
In addition, the 150 Leopard 2 tanks promised by nine Western allies last month are starting to arrive. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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