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Ukraine’s counter-offensive is failing, with no easy fixes
The UK Telegraph ^ | July 21, 2023 | Richard Kemp

Posted on 07/21/2023 11:22:24 PM PDT by AmericaFirst101

With no significant breakthrough after six weeks, it is worth asking whether Ukraine’s counter-offensive can ever succeed, for it certainly doesn’t look to be succeeding now.

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The question to be asked is: are the Ukrainians prepared – militarily, politically, financially – to carry out months and potentially years of these (frontal assault) attacks to penetrate 1914-18 style defensive belts of tank traps, barbed wire, minefields, bunkers and trench lines? The UK Ministry of Defence has described these Russian fortifications as “some of the most extensive systems of military defensive works seen anywhere in the world”.

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Ukraine is already outnumbered in every military capability. Its dire shortage of armoured vehicles means that Kyiv is approaching this counter-offensive with immense caution. Many Nato-supplied tanks and infantry fighting vehicles were knocked out during early probing attacks and they are consequently holding most of the rest of these assets back to avoid too many more losses. That is understandable – yet only a bold, concerted assault with massed armour is likely to overcome the Russians.

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Russia; Ukraine; War
KEYWORDS: failure; foreignaffairs; richardkemp; war; weak
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Richard Kemp is a retired British Army Colonel.

The concept of Ukraine launching frontal assaults against heavily defended positions, particularly a series of assaults over months or years as Kemp suggests, seems remote at best.

The Ukrainian troops, brave and willing though they have been, know they are out-gunned. The Ukrainian forces have launched their counter-offensive with virtually no success but at high cost of life and materiel.

For now, it seems, Ukraine looks to be running out of time and running out of options. Sending more waves of troops to be cut down by Russian defenses probably won't alter the equation. It likely would just lower Ukraine morale even further.

The most telling part of this article, I think, is that Kemp and other NATO supporters are finally starting to tell the truth about things on the ground in Ukraine. The counter-offensive is not working, it's unclear if it will ever/could ever work, and Russia is fully dug in now, unlike last fall.

At some point, in my opinion, there comes a time to think about the lives of the foreign troops you are using as canon fodder on a chessboard. Particularly when "victory" seems a far, far ways away.

1 posted on 07/21/2023 11:22:24 PM PDT by AmericaFirst101
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To: AmericaFirst101

30 seconds over Putin’s Dacha seems like the only proposal.


2 posted on 07/21/2023 11:28:03 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2

30 seconds over Putin’s Dacha seems like the only proposal.

Whose air force is going to do that? Not the USA I hope.


3 posted on 07/21/2023 11:39:54 PM PDT by rxh4n1
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To: AmericaFirst101

The gaslighting continues.


4 posted on 07/21/2023 11:46:54 PM PDT by Chad C. Mulligan
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To: AmericaFirst101

Sounds like Ron DeSantis’s campaign.


5 posted on 07/21/2023 11:52:27 PM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: Paladin2
30 seconds over Putin’s Dacha seems like the only proposal.

No Russian air defenses? Are we going to pretend they don't exist, as usual?

6 posted on 07/21/2023 11:58:22 PM PDT by Right_Wing_Madman
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To: AmericaFirst101

The fact that this “war” has gone on as long as it has is proof positive that the military industrial complex is perpetuating it.


7 posted on 07/22/2023 12:04:42 AM PDT by HighSierra5 (The only way you know a commie is lying is when they open their pieholes.)
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To: HighSierra5

The BiXiden Crime family, Linda Grahmnasty and Pierre Delecto likely benefit.


8 posted on 07/22/2023 12:16:18 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: AmericaFirst101

Putin knows he can’t be kicked out of Ukraine until NATO commits to total air dominance. Such a program would be very costly for NATO in terms of pilots, planes and political capitol. The Russian air defenses are not pushovers, the Russians have the planes to make a fight in the air, and the Russians would be able to resupply at least in the early stages, before total dominance is achieved, if it ever is.

The Russian response to NATO entering the air war would probably be more surprising yet logical than I can imagine. I’m sure whatever it is would be quite costly to the West in some manner or another.


9 posted on 07/22/2023 12:36:26 AM PDT by JustaTech (My mind is the weapon. Everything else is tools.)
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To: JustaTech
Putin knows he can’t be kicked out of Ukraine until NATO commits to total air dominance.

After the failure of sanctions against Russia, the US State Department and this clueless administration had no Plan B, except "Whatever it takes, as long it takes," a pointless mission statement I heard repeated about a hundred times.

10 posted on 07/22/2023 1:12:00 AM PDT by Right_Wing_Madman
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To: AmericaFirst101
"The question to be asked is: are the Ukrainians prepared – militarily, politically, financially – to carry out months and potentially years of these (frontal assault) attacks to penetrate 1914-18 style defensive belts of tank traps, barbed wire, minefields, bunkers and trench lines? The UK Ministry of Defence has described these Russian fortifications as “some of the most extensive systems of military defensive works seen anywhere in the world”."

*******************************************

After six weeks Ukraine has had 26,000 soldiers killed and hasn't gotten within miles of the first line of the real Russian defenses, of which there are three.

This counteroffensive was a totally predictable massive flop. It will only accelerate Ukraine's collapse.

11 posted on 07/22/2023 1:17:28 AM PDT by Neanderthal ("Knowledge is good" - Emil Faber)
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To: All

Ukraine is outmanned, outgunned, and doesn’t have air superiority. A counteroffensive with these facts is foolish.


12 posted on 07/22/2023 2:24:12 AM PDT by thegagline (Sic semper tyrannis! Goldwater in 2024 )
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To: Neanderthal

I expect the Russians to wait until the Ukes expend the last of their reserves on this foolish frontal attack and then launch a massive counter offensive. They have way more troops. They’ve been holding them back to this point.


13 posted on 07/22/2023 3:25:11 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: thegagline

I don’t think the air superiority matters because Russians are not going to get it either.

The author says that the key to breakthrough is “demining kit to clear paths through enemy obstacles, cluster munitions and ATACM long-range missiles”

At least Congress passed the bill to send Ukraine cluster munitions and I really don’t understand why Biden is holding back ATACMS even after both Brits and French have sent Storm Shadow/SCALP.


14 posted on 07/22/2023 3:30:08 AM PDT by Krosan
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To: HighSierra5

The fact that this “war” has gone on as long as it has is proof positive that the military industrial complex is perpetuating it.


and Zelenskyy has informed Joey B of his deep knowledge of where the Biden bodies are buried —and documented —in corrupt Ukrainian politics.


15 posted on 07/22/2023 3:31:39 AM PDT by avital2
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To: AmericaFirst101

I thought Moscow was about to fall!

Was I lied to!?


16 posted on 07/22/2023 4:09:03 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Right_Wing_Madman

“After the failure of sanctions against Russia, the US State Department and this clueless administration had no Plan B, except “Whatever it takes, as long it takes,” a pointless mission statement I heard repeated about a hundred times.”

Isn’t cutting off our own oil production helping to keep the price off oil high and helping to fund Russia who gets a lot of their revenue from oil?


17 posted on 07/22/2023 4:14:19 AM PDT by MulberryDraw (Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what accou"""nt is he?)
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To: AmericaFirst101

Minor issue.. Biden will give another $100 billion and Europe will chip in $5.00 or $10.00 bucks.
F’em all.


18 posted on 07/22/2023 4:20:15 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: AmericaFirst101

Bidenskyyyyy needs to send Caramela Harris over there to teach the Russkis that war is bad. She’s the giggling expert they need to hear.


19 posted on 07/22/2023 4:26:02 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (No more new laws until we start enforcing the crap we already have!)
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To: AmericaFirst101

20 posted on 07/22/2023 4:33:07 AM PDT by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President. A conservative who fights and wins.)
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