2023-06-22 17:10:14
Two Western officials and a senior US military official said that the Ukrainian counterattack in its early stages “does not meet expectations,” considering that Russian forces have shown “more efficiency” than Western assessments expected.
What did the officials say?
According to Western estimates, the Russian defense lines have proven to be well fortified, making it difficult for the Ukrainian forces to penetrate, in the counterattack that is believed to have started in early June. In addition, Russian forces succeeded in “disrupting Ukrainian armor with missile and mine attacks, and used air power more effectively.” A Western official told CNN that “Ukrainian forces have proven that they are vulnerable to minefields.” At the same time, the officials cautioned that “the (Ukrainian) counter-offensive is still in its early stages,” and that the United States and its allies “remain optimistic that Ukrainian forces can make territorial gains over time.” These officials noted that “Ukrainian forces themselves were adapting to Russian tactics and defences”.
The United States and its allies will likely wait until at least July next year to fully assess the progress of the counter-offensive, which has been gradually launched over the past few weeks.
This attack is seen as “decisive in determining who will ultimately win the war”, which began in late February last year.
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