ARTICLE
Criticism of the Ukrainian counteroffensive is unprofessional and useless statements. General Hodges on the complexity of operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
VOA – Voice of America
Anna Tverdokhleb
September 27, 2023
https://www.holosameryky.com/a/hodges-pro-krytyku-ukrajinskoho-kontrnastupu/7285029.html
Those who “over 8,000 km” criticize how someone else enters minefields and trenches and clears them should be ashamed of themselves. This is how the thesis was expressed by the former commander of the NATO ground forces in Europe, retired US General Ben Hodges, during a discussion in Washington “Ukraine’s victory: is the yellow signal flashing?”.
Hodges was answering questions from Robert McConnell, co-founder of the USA-Ukraine Foundation, regarding criticism of the actions of the Ukrainian army in the war.
“These are unprofessional and useless statements,” Ben Hodges said.
The general recalled that Ukrainians have to fight without the support of aviation, without which the United States, Great Britain or Germany would never send their soldiers into combat. Voice of America also wrote earlier about a discussion between experts who said that if the US Army had led the offensive in Ukraine, it would have relied on the support of Aviation, which would have broken the enemy’s fortifications long before the infantry was sent.
“A counteroffensive is not just something we see on the battlefield,” Hodges said. According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine conduct complex complex operations, including the work of Special Forces, drone attacks, cyber combat, disabling Russian radars and air defense, and so on.
Also, according to Hodges, the work of the Ukrainian military on the Black Sea Fleet is impressive, which creates huge pressure on the Russian General Staff.
Earlier, in an exclusive interview with Voice of America, Ben Hodges also said that in the absence of air support, criticism of the Ukrainian counter-attack is unjustified. “Unfortunately, Ukrainians will continue to suffer heavy losses, because we, the West, did not provide them with the necessary opportunities. And I’m talking about high – precision long-range weapons,” Hodges said.