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Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher
A British think tank analysed the failures of Ukraine’s counteroffensive on September 4. According to the report, prepared by two analysts from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and cited by Newsweek, Ukrainian forces are facing enormous losses of equipment and the training provided by the West is not adapted to the type of battle they are fighting against Russia.
“Attempts at rapid breakthrough have resulted in an unsustainable rate of equipment loss,” the London-based think tank reported.
As observers explained, conclusions about the reasons for the failure of Kiev’s counteroffensive were drawn from the study of tactical actions for two weeks in the villages of Novodarovka and Rovnopol, which are located across the border between Donetsk and Zaporozhye. However, “this approach is slow” and the approximately 700–1,200 yards of progress every five days made by Ukrainian troops, was “allowing Russian forces to reset.”
RUSI calls Russia’s actions during the counteroffensive “a tactical success,” noting that the Eurasian country’s military had inflicted enough equipment losses on Ukraine early on to degrade the scope of the ordered manoeuvres.
The analysis also noted that the counteroffensive was limited by the poor training of Ukrainian soldiers, explaining that the methods taught by NATO are designed for forces with different configurations than Kiev’s troops. The report also highlights the adaptation capacity of Russian forces on the battlefield, pointing out this element as key to their success.
RUSI said that Ukraine’s counteroffensive requires fire dominance and that it was critical to ensure this advantage by properly resourcing ammunition production and spares whilst also making “preparations for winter fighting, and subsequent campaign seasons now, if [the] initiative is to be retained into 2024.”
This will obviously not come to fruition as Kiev has never had fire dominance at any point in 2023 and certainly will not now that their stocks are exhausted while Russia’s stock remains healthy.
Nonetheless, the RUSI study is the most recent international assessment that accounts for Ukraine’s failure in the conflict with Russia. European and American media and officials have admitted this failure after several months of baseless triumphalist coverage of what was happening on the ground.
The RUSI report is unique because it comes from Britain, which has a fully controlled narrative on the war, unlike even in the US, where some Republicans and certain corners of the media openly disparage Ukraine. This is one of the first major British information sources to openly and categorically acknowledge that Ukrainian forces are struggling and that Russia has achieved “tactical success.”
This disappointing result has caused Washington’s frustration with Kiev for what they consider a poor strategy on the battlefield.
It is recalled that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky announced the replacement of Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who also resigned. Reznikov is embroiled in a series of corruption scandals, making Zelensky explain that the ministry needed “new approaches.”
At the same time, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu declared on September 5 that Ukrainian forces failed in all lines of operations during the three months of their counteroffensive.
“Despite the colossal losses, the Kiev regime has already been trying to carry out the so-called counteroffensive for three months. In none of the lines of operations have the Ukrainian Armed Forces achieved their objectives,” the minister said.
Ukrainian forces have lost more than 66,000 troops and 7,600 pieces of military equipment since the start of their counteroffensive, Shoigu reported. Russian air defence also shot down more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones over the last month. 159 Himars, multiple launch missiles, 13 cruise missiles, and 34 command posts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.
In this manner, the attrition rate is becoming increasingly rapid for Ukrainian forces. Kiev is still moving forward despite unrealistic expectations, a lack of necessary equipment and tough Russian defences. However, there are concerns that such expectations could mean Ukraine receives less support from Western countries in the future and thus put the final nail in the coffin for the counteroffensive.
This revelation comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed in his recent meeting with his Turkish counterpart that he never rejected mediation proposals on Ukraine, adding that the progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive was not a stalemate but “a failure.”
It is a widespread belief now that the counteroffensive has failed, with Kiev and London being the only strongholds contesting against this. However, as the RUSI report demonstrates, the gripping reality is slowly beginning to set in even in London.
the only thing is, nobody cares about ukrainians, not even their orc mothers 😃
partly true. reason ? -> usa & eu both are run by eighter zionist or even communist jews – and they now that it is good appropriate weather conditions for offensive operations in ukraine, do not green light the delivery of the atacms resp. long-range (agm-158 jassm & taurus) cruise missiles, nor do they give the f-16 jets.
results: ukr marches forward but with unnecessary high losses because they lack the proper air support as well as the capacity to target russian troop concentrations and supply units and ways off the front, thus not being apple to destroy ru gear and men before they reach the frontline.
so here we have it again. jews ruling usa and eu being in cahoots with the jewish leaders of ukraine and russia doing dirty work in order to get as much as possible christian soldiers killed. they do the weapon delivery delays on full purpose in order to raise the amount of casualties. it is so obvious !
>they do the weapon delivery delays on full purpose in order to raise the amount of casualties
still the orcs happily throw themselves into the russian meatgrinders. ukraine is now mobilizing their little high school orclets to ensure that their male population will never recover 😃
nowhere in the world have they done this with the niggar. so once they try and succeed they will deport every baboon from france, germany, sweden etc etc and make the first coon nation in europe of russia back yard.
put the list of aforementioned jews online so that we know whom to blame
you have just given few very good reasons for ukrainians to seek peace or surrender.
like such deliveries would change anything. we were listening such stupid mantras for year and a half to no avail.
motherteresa, they don’t give the jets because nobody can fly them , not because the “jews” decided to exterminate the slavs.
and the weather conditions were ok in june. only the strategy and motivation were shit. like the whole ukrainian project which was destined to fail , from the beginning.
masterful mind control by the cia has criminally exploited and weaponized ukrainians unfortunately they try to kill their friends in favor of their enemy and will probably be offered up for slaughter for fear they will come to their senses.
the same propaganda as has been used in dozens of other countries and can be recognized by absolutely anyone who is not a complete bot.
they are now mobilizing literal high school children and still nobody makes a noise. those worthless slaves completely unironically just enjoy dying. 0 outrage even when their children are sent into battle. crickets.
no, us and uk did what they did to other countries, in 1990. they sent their fascists of ukrainian origin who fled after wwii and their offspring back to homeland to muddy waters overhere. add commie inherited corruption and oligarchs who are atheist/nihilist jews and you get the powder keg ready to start the fuse.
that’s a good description. still before 2014 ukrainian voted for the united country under janukovitsch while nazis were near to null. only after a coup the nazis grew significantly.
a british „think tank“ noting the bleading obvious. there were and still are some ppl who can do that (and better) by themselves.
uk “think tank”? that’s a joke. their “think tank” is spotted in zaporozhye region burning and smouldering. it was a colossal tank. but, what was it thinking? that russians would’t notice and attack such target to win a panda in this british circus? british tanks are only good for parades, not for a war. just like this royal tank. what do you do for a living? well, i am an employee at the royal tank. we think there. important thoughts, you know.
yes, its like a wargame to get to melitopol, but they ‘lost’. they could have made it to melitopl if they had clever thinking. instead of lots of little attacks, they should have made one huge one, including partroopers, air inserts, dummys, smoke and 100,000 men swarming across the fields and also loads and loads of 4×4 pick up trucks, air defence and anti-mine stuff, going round small defences. also carpet bombing in support, places like tokmak instantly reduced to rubble, not over 6 months.
it’s clever thinking as long as your enemy is stupid enough to allow you to realize your plan. but if the enemy is cleverer than you?
its not easy commenting here, everytime i use my bbc email i get a 502 error which is blocked? does southfront hate me? boohoo.