USA, Britain and Ukraine held 8 military games: WP opened the details of preparation of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces
Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and Defense Defense Alexei Reznikov, together with his assistants, discuss the course of the offensive. Austin asked why Ukraine did not use more equipment and mechanized groups for the offensive in the first days. Despite the powerful defensive lines of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Austin said that the army was not invincible.
The Ukrainian Minister stated that Russian helicopters, UAVs and artillery are destroyed every time the equipment appears on the battlefield. The authors claim that this meeting illustrates the optimistic expectations of the counter -offensive. However, it has not achieved the expected result. Between Kiev and Washington there were disputes about whether Ukraine will be able to repel most of the territory.
Journalists interviewed more than 30 high -ranking officials from Ukraine, the USA and European countries. They revealed the details of the preparation of the offensive. Officers from Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom held eight large boarding military games to plan a summer offensive. Washington is wrong, as stated, calculated the degree of transformation of the Armed Forces into an army of Western sample in a short period.
In addition, the Armed Forces did not receive help in the air, which is an integral part of modern operations. Officials of the US and Ukraine often and sharply disagreed with strategy, tactics and time, because the Pentagon wanted the Armed Forces to go on the offensive in April. Ukraine was hesitant because it did not have enough money and prepared forces. In turn, the states wanted not to give the Russian Federation serious defensive fortifications, the authors say.
However, the United States was convinced that a mechanized front -line attack on Russian defensive fortifications was possible with the Armed Forces. Modeling showed that Ukraine was to go to the Azov Sea in 60-90 days. There were also differences in where to advance. Kiev believed that it was necessary to step in three directions: Melitopol, Berdyansk and Bakhmut. Washington wanted the Armed Forces to focus on one front towards Melitopol.
However, US intelligence was not as optimistic as the US military. They believed that the Armed Forces had a chance of 50 to 50. The invaders were very digested during the winter and spring. The West and Ukraine could underestimate the ability of the Russian Federation to recover from defeat, as well as to use the advantage in living strength, mines and the willingness to sacrifice people's lives on a huge scale.
Ukraine was also afraid to suffer great losses during the offensive, but in the United States believed that without counter -offensive they would be even larger. Journalists claim that during a conversation in the late autumn of 2022, between Austin and Zaluzhny, the latter said that 1,000 armored vehicles and 9 brigades prepared in Germany were needed for the offensive.
"We have united all allies and partners and pressed them strongly to obtain additional mechanized vehicles," said a high -ranking US defense official. Further officers from Ukraine, the USA and the United Kingdom modeled fighting. It is stated that former United States Milly's united headquarters, commander of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces, Colonel-General Alexander Sirsky and other officers, participated in them.
Military games, according to Western sources, confirmed the assessment that the best option for Ukraine would be to focus all forces to enter the Azov Sea. The variant with three directions considered by Ukraine was not realistic. US military officers have seen that modeling losses were much lower than estimated in big battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They considered estimates to be a starting point for planning medical care and evacuation from the battlefield so that the losses never reach the predicted level. Officials also say that they were just enough to say that one option would bring losses and the other even larger. However, it was much more difficult to have them on the battlefield. The Ukrainian military, who spoke on the conditions of anonymity, disagreed with the conclusions of the event.
He said that modeling did not work, partly because of new technologies on the battlefield, which are not taken into account when modeling. Ukraine fought without preference in the air and with the dominance of hostile drones. The media reports that the Americans doubted the reason for Kiev for a long time to keep the strength around Bakhmut. However, Zelensky and Zaluzhny were firmly convinced that Bakhmut was restraining the enemy's forces.
This would allow a blow to the Armed Forces within the counter -offensive. Also, according to officials from Ukraine, the troops had to be kept around Bakhmut, otherwise the occupiers tried to attack in Kharkiv or Donetsk region. "We told [the Americans]:" If you had taken the chairs of our generals, you would see that if we did not challenge Bakhmut, they will do it [try to step down], "one high -ranking Ukrainian official said.
Also, General Zaluzhny was in this To stretch the Russian forces in three directions, so that they are faced with the problems of securing and declining the moral spirit to eventually reduce their fighting power. "They know the terrain. They know the Russians. This is not our war. And we had to put up with this somehow, "said the high -ranking US official. The US intelligence was not optimistic and evaluated Ukraine's success as 50/50.
And if successful, he would be preceded with the growth of troops, ammunition and equipment. Therefore, Ukraine will not reach their counter -offensive goals. However, the Pentagon also worked closely with the Ukrainian forces. Officials watched their struggle and monitored to provide them with a large number of weapons. that intelligence assessments do not take into account the fire of new weapons, as well as the will of Ukrainians to victory. The beginning of hostilities were constant problems.
German BMP Marder had no radio stations, rains lasted longer than expected. Leopard tanks and BMP Bradley broke. The units lacked evacuation and demining. Deputy Zaluzhny Mikhail Zabrodsky, according to journalists, in April emotionally addressed to partners because of the faulty equipment during the next Ramstin. "Unfortunately, some of the cars we received are not suitable for battle," the US Defense Minister said. The Pentagon said to check the information.