A Ukrainian unit is said to have succeeded in capturing so much Russian equipment, including tanks and ammunition, in the Kharkov region that other units tried to use it to upgrade their own unit or fill in the gaps – a sort of barter among the Ukrainian units. The New York Times refers to this information as an unnamed soldier who, according to the newspaper, is familiar with the situation on the newly established front in the Kharkiv region.
The British BBC meanwhile published a video. It probably shows abandoned Russian tanks and other military equipment, as it is apparently being inspected by the Ukrainian army, they say. The BBC did not provide any information regarding the place and time of the video recording.
Double benefit
The captured weapons are of enormous double use for Ukraine. On the one hand, the Russian army lacks them and needs to replace them, on the other hand, the weapons will probably find their way to the front once more – on the Ukrainian side, according to the New York Times. The partly more modern Russian weapons will replace the worn out ones from the Soviet era, it is said.
According to Michael Kofman, head of the Russia branch of the military-linked US Thin Tanks Center for Naval Analyzes (CNA), the Russian forces gave up “a lot” of military hardware in their retreat. Coupled with “problems with the number of soldiers and the local availability of armed forces”, this only increased Russia’s concerns, the “NYT” quoted the expert as saying.
Further dependent on military aid
But military aid is still important for Ukraine, especially from the USA. The US is delivering more weapons to Ukraine, most recently worth around $675 million (around €680 million). This was announced by Defense Minister Lloyd Austin on Thursday at the Ukraine Contact Group meeting in Ramstein, Germany. Since April, Washington has provided arms totaling $6.3 billion.
Allies’ military support for Ukraine is paying off, Austin said. “We see the demonstrable success of our efforts on the battlefield.” He stressed that Ukraine needs support over a “long haul” and that the country has a “tough road ahead of it.” But you can already see the success of the joint effort on the battlefield.
US President Joe Biden only announced support for Ukraine in the amount of almost three billion dollars at the end of August. This would allow Kyiv to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and ammunition, drones and radar equipment “in order to be able to defend itself in the long term”.
Expert: journey home instead of reforming
The morale of the Russian troops in Ukraine is also apparently not good: According to a senior officer in the US Department of Defense, who asked not to be named, in the New York Times, Russian soldiers have returned home instead of going elsewhere to regroup in Ukraine as ordered.
According to the US Army, many of the Russian soldiers who are retreating from the Kharkov region have left Ukraine. A senior US military official also said large parts of these troops had crossed the border and returned to Russia. Under pressure from Ukrainian counter-offensives, most of the Russian troops have recently been withdrawn from the Kharkiv region in the east. Officially, Moscow justified the withdrawal with a strategic “regrouping” of its own units.
Flashing: Too early to predict result
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Monday night of “significant progress” in the Ukrainian counter-offensive, especially in the north-east of the country. These advances are primarily “a result of the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces and the Ukrainian people”. However, it is too early to predict the exact result of the counter-offensive.
Russia still has “substantial forces” in Ukraine, as well as equipment, weapons and ammunition, Blinken said. Russia uses them not only once morest Ukrainian armed forces, but also once morest civilians and civilian infrastructure.
According to Zelenskyj, Ukraine has recaptured 6,000 square kilometers of previously Russian-occupied areas in its counter-offensive since the beginning of September. The soldiers “liberated” this area in the south and east and would “continue to advance,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video address on Monday.
London: Russian army weakened
According to British intelligence services, leading units of the Russian army have been severely weakened by the war of aggression in Ukraine. In the early stages of the war in particular, there were heavy casualties from which the troops never recovered, according to a short report by the British Ministry of Defense on Tuesday.
The 1st Guards Tank Army was affected. Parts of this unit, which is one of the most prestigious in the Russian military, withdrew from the Kharkiv region last week. In the event of a war once morest NATO, it was envisaged that the 1st Guards Tank Army would assume a leading role. However, the losses have significantly weakened Russia’s conventional combat strength once morest NATO. The British said it would take years to rebuild them.
The British Ministry of Defense has published information on the course of the war every day since the start of the Russian war of aggression in late February. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
