{"id":586503,"date":"2023-08-11T00:55:38","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T21:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/alarm-grows-as-ukraines-counteroffensive-falters\/"},"modified":"2023-08-11T00:55:38","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T21:55:38","slug":"alarm-grows-as-ukraines-counteroffensive-falters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/alarm-grows-as-ukraines-counteroffensive-falters\/","title":{"rendered":"#Alarm grows as Ukraine\u2019s counteroffensive falters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/ukraine_080923_via-ap_ukraine.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>There is growing alarm about the pace and prospects of Ukraine\u2019s counteroffensive, with few signs of progress in recent weeks and Russian lines holding strong.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Those concerns picked up steam in the past week after Ukraine launched a second push in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and has still come up mostly empty in the eyes of Western allies.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>U.S. officials<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/08\/08\/politics\/ukraine-counteroffensive-us-briefings\/index.html\"> told CNN<\/a> on Tuesday that significant progress was \u201chighly unlikely,\u201d especially with fall and winter fast <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roaching. And another U.S. official told NBC <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a>, \u201cThere is a frustration that they have not used more of the combat power that they have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft said in a \u201cTime\u201d magazine piece that Ukrainian forces are outmanned and outgunned and need a \u201cPlan B,\u201d which would include scaling back to focus on defense.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), a former football coach, gave voice to the growing skepticism, comparing Ukraine to \u201ca junior high team playing a college team\u201d in an interview with Fox News this week, adding: \u201cThey can\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the sobering assessments U.S. officials are making anonymously in the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>, the Biden administration maintains that Ukraine will recapture Russian-occupied territory and ultimately triumph.<\/p>\n<p>The narrative has frustrated Ukraine, which continues to urge patience as it chips away at Russian fortifications \u2014 including thousands of landmines \u2014 and searches for weak spots along the frontlines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Maksym Skrypchenko, the president of the Kyiv-based Transatlantic Dialogue Center, a nonprofit think tank that advises Ukraine\u2019s government, said the current Western support is \u201cenough to survive\u201d but \u201cnot enough to effectively counterattack.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWithout [the weapons] I think that nobody should expect some miracle like it was a year ago, because Russia is more prepared right now and already knows what to expect from the Ukrainian side,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the offensive, which launched in early June, NATO members gave Ukraine hundreds of modern tanks, armored carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. The U.S. said Kyiv had everything it needed for the offensive. Some allies have also delivered Soviet-era jets and long-range missiles to supplement Ukraine\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n<p>But Skrypchenko noted the U.S. has held back on key weapon systems such as Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which fires long-range missiles, and F-16 fighter jets. He also said Ukraine does not have nearly enough artillery shells because defense production in Western nations has been unable to keep pace with the war.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Skyrpchenko said Soviet-era jets are unable to cross into the front lines to execute certain maneuvers because they will be \u201cshut down,\u201d and the highly valued ATACMS would significantly boost the military\u2019s ability to destroy key Russian-held bridges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course it\u2019s not a silver bullet, but it would be dramatically easier for Ukraine to advance using better and more advanced weapons,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n<p>The counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia has big ambitions: Ukrainian forces need to break through miles of territory to the Sea of Azov and sever a land bridge from mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Further north in eastern Ukraine, troops are trying to retake territory around the city of Bakhmut in a push to liberate the Donetsk region.<\/p>\n<p>Both offensives face major obstacles of dug-in trenches, minefields, Russian air superiority and intense artillery defenses. And Russian troops are resisting Ukraine with its advances, with\u00a0 territory constantly being traded back and forth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Branislav Slantchev, a professor of political <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> at the University of California, San Diego, who studies the conduct of war, said Ukraine was moving slower than some supporters would expect because Kyiv wants to minimize casualties.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Slantchev predicted Ukraine is \u201cvery close to a breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia,\u201d pointing out it took Ukraine months of work before big results were achieved in a successful offensive to retake Kherson last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing happens for several months and then suddenly the results come in. Because once they\u2019ve degraded some sectors sufficiently to attempt a breakthrough, if the breakthrough works, you will see it very quickly afterwards,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Slantchev, however, said the delay behind key weapons and armor shipments has been an issue for Ukraine. He argued F-16s and ATACMS are not \u201cwonder weapons\u201d but more advanced weapons can be considered \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> changers.\u201d He also said Kyiv has only received some of the equipment promised earlier this year.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cA lot of the promises that we\u2019ve made are longer term, that will take months,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not that they\u2019re lying. It\u2019s just that the people who say we\u2019ve given a lot make it sound like everything that\u2019s been promised is actually delivered, or will be delivered shortly, which is just not true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder on Thursday characterized the current phase of the war as a \u201ctough fight\u201d but praised the Ukrainian army for its past victories and ability to overcome great odds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve known from the beginning that regardless of when any counteroffensive started, it was going to be a tough fight,\u201d Ryder told reporters. \u201cGoing forward, we\u2019re going to continue to consult with them, we\u2019re going to continue to provide them training so that they can take back sovereign territory.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The White House doubled down on that commitment on Thursday, requesting another $13 billion in security aid for Ukraine from Congress. The Biden administration has also played down a CNN poll last week that found most Americans don\u2019t want Congress to authorize additional aid to Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The counteroffensive so far has achieved the liberation of around 100 square miles of territory within two months, compared to the thousands of square miles retaken in the Kherson and Kharkiv offenses last year.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the problem for Ukraine is the extensive network of defenses Russia had months to construct and continues to fortify.<\/p>\n<p>Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar this week admitted Russia was \u201cseriously strengthening its defensive lines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd our troops are now faced not only with mining, but also with concrete engineering fortification of key commanding heights,\u201d she said in a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/annamaliar\/990\">Telegram post.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But Ukraine is adjusting its tactics and still maintains the initiative, said Mick Ryan, a retired major <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> from the Australian Army and a military analyst. Ukrainian forces are now seizing small bits of territory, holding the land and moving forward under the cover of artillery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUkraine is making some progress. Because none of us, except the Ukrainian military high command and government members, know the actual Ukrainian objectives for each phase of the war, we cannot say with any certainty whether this is behind or on schedule,\u201d\u00a0 he wrote in a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mickryan.substack.com\/p\/the-state-of-the-ukrainian-2023-campaign\">recent analysis<\/a>. \u201cHowever, Ukraine is recovering its territory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the most difficult challenges for Ukraine outside of the battlefield is countering expectations in the West for immediate results.<\/p>\n<p>In recent speeches, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for \u201cmaximum focus\u201d and unity behind Ukraine and its allies during the offensive.<\/p>\n<p>Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the office of Zelensky, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Podolyak_M\/status\/1689266552762138624?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\">said Ukraine has already demonstrated<\/a> that it can take on Russia and supporters should not get carried away by relentlessly commenting on the speed of the operation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone needs to be patient and closely monitor the high-quality work of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/defense\/4148128-alarm-grows-as-ukraines-counteroffensive-falters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is growing alarm about the pace and prospects of Ukraine\u2019s counteroffensive, with few signs of progress in recent weeks and Russian lines holding strong.\u00a0 Those concerns picked up steam in the past week after Ukraine launched a second push in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and has still come up mostly empty in the eyes&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":586504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/ukraine_080923_via-ap_ukraine.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[139252,134343,134418,139529,134661,73014,124783,134904,4965,135954],"class_list":["post-586503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-business-economy","tag-campaign","tag-congress-blog","tag-defense-national-security","tag-energy-environment","tag-health-care","tag-international","tag-russia-ukraine-war","tag-technology","tag-tommy-tuberville"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}