Russia

Kiev Not Ready for Counteroffensive: Ukrainian Serviceman

A Ukrainian servicemen of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade prepare to fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions on a frontline in Donetsk region, on April 5, 2023A Ukrainian servicemen of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade prepare to fire a 120mm mortar towards Russian positions on a frontline in Donetsk region, on April 5, 2023 - Sputnik International, 1920, 01.05.2023InternationalIndiaAfricaOleg BurunovWith Russia going ahead with its special military operation in Ukraine, speculation is rife about a possible zero hour of Kiev’s counteroffensive.The Western countries are concerned over the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)’s unpreparedness for a counteroffensive against Russian troops despite the West’s hefty financial injections into the Ukrainian army, a UK newspaper has reported.An anonymous Ukrainian serviceman told the newspaper that he hopes to get more combat experience before the AFU’s full-fledged offensive starts.

He admitted that the Ukrainian troops "are not ready", and that they "need to train more" and "need more time."

The soldier’s concerns “echo those of many in Washington and other European capitals that have poured billions into supporting Ukraine but worry about the state of its military after a punishing year,” the newspaper pointed out.The news outlet also cited one of the Pentagon’s leaked defense documents as arguing that Ukraine might fail to amass sufficient troops and weaponry, and fall “well short” of its goals for regaining territory.

This comes after a UK magazine warned late last month that Kiev’s "long-planned" counteroffensive against Russian forces may end up with the encirclement of Ukrainian troops, not least because Ukraine has "a limited supply of the surface-to-air missiles needed to deter Russian bombers."

According to the magazine, both Ukraine and “its Western backers should prepare for the possibility that the counteroffensive will yield only marginal gains, or worse.”Red Square in Moscow. View - Sputnik International, 1920, 07.04.2023Russia’s Special Operation in UkraineKremlin on US Remark on Kiev’s Counteroffensive: Such Statements Carefully Monitored7 April, 12:31 GMTThe claims were preceded by Ukrainian lawmaker Alexandra Ustinova telling a US news outlet that Kiev had planned to begin the counteroffensive before the end of April, but that the lack of arms “has pushed the launch date back indefinitely.”

She claimed that the US military delivered "far less" arms to Kiev than what Ukrainian Defense Minister Valery Zaluzhny has requested that the Pentagon provide.

Speculation about the AFU’s H-hour comes as Western countries continue to provide Kiev with billions of dollars worth of military aid, which Moscow warns will add to prolongation of the Ukraine conflict and turn the US and its allies into the sides to the standoff.

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