Ten-week Ukrainian counteroffensive: “We were very optimistic” | Politics

This weekend marks ten weeks since the Ukrainian military launched a long-awaited counteroffensive in the south and east of the country.

But with only ten small villages in the Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk regions freed from the hands of the Russian invaders, the Ukrainian army did not let its own expectations alone.

“Ukraine and its allies were very confident, I have to agree, I have to agree,” Niko Lange (48), former head of the Executive Committee of the German Defense Ministry, told BILD.

Lange explains: “The breakthroughs against large mines and Russian air superiority make it very difficult. Ukraine’s counteroffensive is progressing, but very slowly.”

But why is that?

According to the Ukrainian military, it is primarily the lack of modern weapons that makes victory against Russia’s largest invasion force impossible.

America wants F-16 fighter jets, Germany wants Taurus cruise missiles. But the signs are not good for the Western arms system.

︎ After extensive training and a green light from Washington, US F-16 jets won’t be available until summer 2024 at the earliest, and the traffic light for German cruise missiles is still red.

︎ “There is no change in the current status of the MAW Taurus Ukraine issue. A political decision to submit has not been made,” a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Defense said on Friday when asked by Bild.

But there are other explanations for Ukraine’s lack of success on the battlefield.

According to an internal Bundeswehr report, the “Ukrainian operational doctrine” itself has a negative impact on the effectiveness of combat forces trained mainly in Germany.

“Their own units are sometimes divided into small areas, and although each unit does something, there is no apparent collective command of the battle,” says the “classified information” sheet available to BILD. “Maneuver elements are not at the core of creating your own momentum or maintaining fire superiority.”

However, the continued supply of weapons must play a major role in the lack of success.

Allies have so far delivered less than 100 Western battle tanks to the Ukrainian military – in total. On the other hand, a Russian arms industry is working at full speed, adding 50 tanks (!) a month to the armada in Ukraine, which is estimated at more than 1000 tanks.

Military expert Niko Lange, who has been working at the Munich Security Conference since July, no longer believes in a quick victory for Ukraine and appeals: “The best thing we can do is to prepare ourselves for long-term and systematic support for Ukraine.”

His criticism of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (65, SPD): “Unfortunately, we are still lagging behind in implementing the Chancellor’s breakthrough speech. Because we took more time with armored personnel carriers and main battle tanks, for example, the Russians had time for massive minefields and defensive positions.

According to Lange, the federal government “must act faster, harder and more consistently” to “keep up with what is seen as too weak” by Russian warlord Vladimir Putin (70).