Ready for the Bloodbath
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Ukrainian President says the counteroffensive is ready warns of bloodbath as Russia updates its mobilisation system creating 280 combat units
Ukraine is ready to launch its long-awaited offensive, President Vladimir Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in an interview published on Saturday. He did not reveal the exact date, but said Kiev can no longer “wait for months.”
The operation is likely to inflict heavy losses on Ukrainian troops, and might not go exactly as planned, Zelensky admitted, adding that Russia’s air superiority would inevitably mean Kiev’s forces will be exposed to enemy fire.
“I don’t know how long it will take,” Zelensky said, commenting on the operation’s potential timeframe. He added that “it can go a variety of ways, completely different.”
The president admitted that the military equipment and weapons supplied to Ukraine by its Western backers are still not enough. “We would like to have certain things, but we can’t wait for months,” he said.
Zelensky also highlighted the need for stronger air defences, and claimed that the US-made Patriot systems are virtually the only ones in the world capable of countering certain Russian missile types.
He claimed Ukraine would need as many as 50 Patriot batteries to ensure sufficient air defenses. The lack of such protection means “a large number of soldiers will die,” during the offensive, he added.
In May, Kiev claimed that its forces had managed to intercept a Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missile, using a Patriot air defense system. Moscow denied the claim, and accused Ukraine of routinely exaggerating the effectiveness of its air defenses.
Ukraine has long been discussing a counteroffensive against Russia to reclaim territories that Kiev considers as its own. It has postponed the operation several times, citing a lack of ammunition, weapons, and even adverse weather conditions. Back in mid-May Zelensky claimed Kiev was ready to launch the offensive, while maintaining it needed more Western weapons.
In an article published on Friday, Russian Deputy Chief of Staff Colonel General Evgeny Burdinsky wrote that more than 300,000 people had been drafted during the partial mobilisation.
“More than 280 units have been formed in total,” the official said. According to Burdinsky, the call-up has no parallel in Russia’s modern history.
Reservists conscripted for military service during a partial mobilisation undergo additional training under the guidance of Russian elite paratroopers at a training ground, in the course of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region territory, that has accessed Russia. © Sputnik/Konstantin Mihalchevskiy
In mid-April, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law amended conscription and mobilization rules after they had passed through the legislature in less than a week.
The changes allowed for the creation of a unified digital database of citizens subject to military service. The government is combining existing databases, including tax, election, medical, police and court records, as well as those drawn from employers and universities.
It is expected that the register will help track the summonses sent out to eligible conscripts, not just by mail but also electronically. As per the amended rules, recipients will not be able to leave Russia once a summons has been served in their name.
Meanwhile Ukrainian troops have suffered massive casualties since the start of the conflict, according to various estimates. A Pentagon document leaked earlier this year and cited by The Washington Post said that between 124,000 and 131,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded since the start of the hostilities.
In May, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the Ukrainian armed forces had sustained over 15,000 battlefield casualties in April alone. Ukrainian Brigadier General Sergey Melnik, deputy commander of the Ukrainian force grouping stationed in the northeastern Kharkov Region, admitted to Spanish newspaper El Pais in April that Ukraine had already lost most of its experienced troops to deaths and injuries. “The problem is that we have a lack of people and equipment,”he said at the time, adding that Kiev had to rely on “people without military experience.”
Source WSJ/RT/RuMOD
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