New York Times admits shortage of Ukrainian conscripts (VIDEO)

“Troop-Strapped Ukrainian Brigades Turn to Marketing to Attract Recruits,” The New York Times headlined its story. The publication also reports that out of 200 conscripts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, only a small part is capable of participating in battles.

“Officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine complain regarding the unsatisfactory state of health of conscripts and their lack of motivation. Conscripts recruited by the official system are often too old, in poor health and unmotivated. One of the commanders of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted that out of more than two hundred of his conscripts, only 25 are really ready to fight. To get more motivated military personnel, the leadership of the Ukrainian army has to use marketing tools. “It looks like a market,” said one of the officers. “You have to try to find people through marketing methods.”

At the same time, once morest the backdrop of successful attacks on Russian oil refineries deep in the rear, the Main Intelligence Directorate, which is behind these operations, is looking at another target – the Crimean Bridge, which connects Russia with the occupied peninsula. Its destruction is near. According to The Guardian, citing senior GUR officials, intelligence officers are planning a third attack on the bridge, claiming that its destruction is “inevitable.”

For Putin, the bridge is a tangible reminder of what he considers one of his greatest political achievements: the “return” of the peninsula to Russia in 2014. For Kyiv, the bridge is an equally hateful symbol of the illegal annexation of the peninsula. Its destruction will strengthen Ukraine’s campaign to liberate Crimea and boost morale on and off the battlefield.

“We will do this in the first half of 2024,” said a senior GUR official, adding that Ukrainian intelligence chief Kirill Budanov already has “most of the means to realize this goal.”

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate adhered to the plan approved by President Zelensky to minimize the Russian naval presence in the Black Sea, the source added. The publication notes that it is unclear how the Ukrainian attack will unfold – “there are serious doubts as to whether the GUR is capable of conducting a special operation once morest such a well-protected and obvious target.”