Behind Schedule
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US officials tell NYT that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is behind schedule with mounting losses as Russian Defence Minister tours the front
Ukraine’s counteroffensive has already cost it more than a dozen Bradley fighting vehicles provided by Washington, the New York Times has reported, citing anonymous US officials. Since Kiev began its operation at the start of June, the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed its forces have destroyed dozens of Ukrainian armored vehicles and tanks, including Western-made ones.
According to an article published by the NYT on Monday, 17 of the 113 Bradleys supplied to Ukraine by the US have been damaged or destroyed.
Particularly dangerous for advancing Ukrainian troops are extensive Russian minefields, the paper explained. The flat, open terrain in southeastern Ukraine is making the counteroffensive an arduous undertaking as Ukrainian troops effectively have nowhere to take cover.
The NYT claimed that Russian KA-52 attack helicopters pose an additional threat as they have reportedly managed to conduct missile strikes from outside the range of Ukrainian air defense.
As a result, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has ground to a halt in some areas, with soldiers reassessing their tactics, the newspaper claimed. Kiev’s forces have thus far managed to cover less than half the distance to Russia’s main line of defense, the report added.
Ukrainian service members told reporters that the Russians had “dug in, they mined, they are ready.”
“Given what the guys are saying, it’s not going as well as they show on TV,” a medic acknowledged.
Meanwhile, officials in Kiev, including President Vladimir Zelensky, have attempted to reassure the public that the main battles are still ahead.
While Kiev’s backers in the US are publicly calling for patience, one anonymous official told the NYT that the underwhelming results of the Ukrainian counteroffensive have been “sobering.”
“They are behind schedule,” the senior administration official conceded, speaking privately to journalists.
However, unnamed officials also insisted that given the extensive Russian defences, the slow pace of the Ukrainian advance was predictable, claiming it was still too early to draw any broad conclusions.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has inspected a forward command post of the ‘West’ grouping of forces taking part in the country’s military operation, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.
During the visit, Shoigu heard a report from the commander of the grouping, Colonel General Evgeny Nikiforov, on the situation on the frontline, maneuvers performed by the Ukrainian side, and the operational tasks carried out by the Russian military, the ministry said in a statement.
Nikiforov also told the minister about the preparation of new reserve regiments for the ‘West’ grouping and their combat coordination, it added.
Shoigu noted the high effectiveness of the Russian forces operating in and near Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, the statement read. He also said special attention should be paid to ensuring that Russian troops are provided with everything they need, and are safely accommodated.
According to the Defense Ministry, the leadership of the ‘West’ grouping was “tasked with continuing active reconnaissance in order to reveal the enemy’s plans in advance, and prevent their implementation of distant approaches to the line of contact.”
The ministry also published a video, showing Shoigu and Nikiforov flying above the area in a helicopter and the minister talking to the commander, and being shown maps at the command post.
Earlier this month, Ukraine launched its long-anticipated counteroffensive along the frontline, but according to Moscow, it has so far failed to achieve any significant advances. Kiev has claimed the capture of several small villages, which appear to be far away from Russia’s main defensive lines.
During a Russian Security Council meeting last week, chaired by President Vladimir Putin and attended by Shoigu and other top security officials, it was announced that between June 4 and June 21 Ukraine had lost 246 tanks, including 13 of those supplied by the West, 152 infantry fighting vehicles, and more than 13,000 troops.
Moscow has released video clips apparently showing its troops destroying a German-made Leopard tank, French AMX-10 light tanks, and other vehicles.
Source NYT/RT/AFP
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