WSJ: “Western Military Officials Knew Kiev Didn’t Have the Training or Weapons to Dislodge Russian Forces”
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WSJ: “Western Military Officials Knew Kiev Didn’t Have the Training or Weapons to Dislodge Russian Forces”

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WSJ: “Western Military Officials Knew Kiev Didn’t Have the Training or Weapons to Dislodge Russian Forces”

Soldiers of the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade near Zaporizhzhia

 

The West knew that Kiev did not have enough weapons for a successful counteroffensive but hoped that the “courage and resourcefulness” of Ukrainian soldiers “would compensate for this deficit, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims 26.000 Ukrainians have died since June 4 in the Ukrainian counter-offensive.

“When Ukraine launched its big counteroffensive this spring, Western military officials knew Kyiv didn’t have all the training or weapons—from shells to warplanes—that it needed to dislodge Russian forces. But they hoped Ukrainian courage and resourcefulness would carry the day. They haven’t,” reports the WSJ.

“Deep and deadly minefields, extensive fortifications and Russian air power have combined to largely block significant advances by Ukrainian troops. Instead, the campaign risks descending into a stalemate with the potential to burn through lives and equipment without a major shift in momentum,” writes the Wall Street Journal.

“As the likelihood of any large-scale breakthrough by the Ukrainians this year dims, it raises the unsettling prospect for Washington and its allies of a longer war—one that would require a huge new infusion of sophisticated armaments and more training to give Kyiv a chance at victory”, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“The political calculus for the Biden administration is complicated. President Biden is up for re-election in the fall of 2024 and many in Washington believe concerns in the White House about the war’s impact on the campaign are prompting growing caution on the amount of support to offer Kyiv.”

According to the WSJ, the offensive risks a stalemate which will cost Ukraine lives and equipment without significant progress. The publication also notes that there are not enough reserves in Europe to provide Kiev with everything necessary. According to Western diplomats, European leaders are unlikely to opt for a significant increase in aid to Ukraine if they feel a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the US, which in turn is preparing for the presidential election.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has lost 457 warplanes, 244 helicopters, 5,238 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 air defence missile systems, 10,889 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,139 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,604 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 11,888 special military motor vehicles, Russia claims.

Ukrainian and Western intelligence says the Russian military has low morale due to exhaustion, poor supplies and civil infightings among Russian leaders. “Russia appears unable to seize the initiative and attack Ukrainian positions, but its forces remain robust enough to man hundreds of miles of fortifications and large numbers of aircraft, which are keeping Kyiv’s troops at bay”, the WSJ said.

President Vladimir Putin claimed Russian destroyed 15 Leopard II tanks and 20 Bradley Fighting Vehicles in one single battle on the weekend.

The post WSJ: “Western Military Officials Knew Kiev Didn’t Have the Training or Weapons to Dislodge Russian Forces” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Richard Abelson