The Armed Forces Counter -offensive in 2023: WP analyzed why it brought modest results (map)
Some of the participants of these games suggested that the offensive actions would be successful and wanted to see the advance forward as during the Kharkiv operation. However, the expected breakthrough to the Azov Sea did not occur. How to prepare for the fighting in 2023 and how the results were evaluated, the article of The Washington Post is said.
The journalists indicated that they had communicated with 30 military and politicians from the US, the EU and Ukraine and made an overall picture of the Armed Forces Council in 2023. They began their story from the statement of the Commander -in -Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Valery Zaluzhny. In the fall of 2022, the General reported the resources needed to break to the shores of the Azov Sea and win.
The story ends with the description of the meeting in the Cabinet of Minister of Defense Lloyd Austin in August 2023. The participants of the meeting heard from the then Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexei Reznikov that the problems of the offensive - because of the number of equipment, weapons, shells: they were to put partners, but put too little and too long. According to the concepts of the US military, Ukraine would have to press as much as possible on one front of the front.
At the same time there was a confidence that it would be success during the counter-offensive, lasting 60-90 days. They also suggested that the possible size of Ukrainian losses, if they implemented this plan, would make 30-40%. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian offensive took place in three directions - Melitopol, Berdyansk and Bakhmutsky, wrote WP journalists based on conversations with the military.
They also published a map: the map stated that the Americans were offered to hit the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation near Melitopol - this should have been the only and main direction of offensive. The decision on how the offensive actions will take place, made the military-political command of Ukraine independently, the article reads. During the preparation, they focused on General Valery Zaluzhny, who listed what he needed for hostilities.
In February 2023, it became clear that Western weapons would not be supplied at the right pace. In addition, they noted other problems: the high level of preparation of Ukrainian military who could not operate under Western rules and lack of support from the air.
The journalists spoke about a categorical refusal to provide the Armed Forces with cassette ammunition (protested by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and the decisions were made only in the summer of 2023) and the refusal to provide FRACE missiles atacMS (they were provided only in 2023 in 2023). The Pentagon was more convinced of the possibility of success than Western intelligence was written by journalists.
In particular, intelligence suggested that the success of the victory was "50 to 50". This position was evaluated critically: first, in the first days of the war, intelligence was strongly washed with the chances of Ukraine to stay and, secondly, recognized the influence of Ukraine's desire to defend independence and knock out Russian occupiers. They indicated that "Ukrainians simply have no choice. " WP journalists summed up that "not so" with the Armed Forces Counter -offensive in 2023.
First, the Pentagon and Ukraine had a difference at the offensive point, but in the United States were convinced that the available resources could be sufficient in the right plan. Secondly, Russia has underestimated the ability of Russia to sacrifice a large number of Russians to achieve military goals. Third, Ukraine tried to protect their lives for their military, and Western officials had other views: "They believed that the losses would eventually be higher without a decisive attack.
" It should be noted that in November 2023, General Valery Zaluzhny published a column in which he analyzed the current state of the war in Ukraine. The military indicated that it was necessary to ensure that the fighting did not become positional. Subsequently, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he did not see a dead end in the war, and later acknowledged that the difficult years of the war in Ukraine.