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Western allies receive increasingly ‘sobering’ updates on Ukraine’s counteroffensive: ‘This is the most difficult time of the war’
CNN ^ | August 8th, 2023 | By Jim Sciutto, Chief National Security Correspondent

Posted on 08/08/2023 9:19:40 AM PDT by Mariner

Weeks into Ukraine’s highly anticipated counteroffensive, Western officials describe increasingly “sobering” assessments about Ukrainian forces’ ability to retake significant territory, four senior US and western officials briefed on the latest intelligence told CNN.

“They’re still going to see, for the next couple of weeks, if there is a chance of making some progress. But for them to really make progress that would change the balance of this conflict, I think, it’s extremely, highly unlikely,” a senior western diplomat told CNN.

“Our briefings are sobering. We’re reminded of the challenges they face,” said Rep. Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat who recently returned from meetings in Europe with US commanders training Ukrainian armored forces. “This is the most difficult time of the war.”

The primary challenge for Ukrainian forces is the continued difficulty of breaking through Russia’s multi-layered defensive lines in the eastern and southern parts of the country, which are marked by tens of thousands of mines and vast networks of trenches. Ukrainian forces have incurred staggering losses there, leading Ukrainian commanders to hold back some units to regroup and reduce casualties.

“Russians have a number of defensive lines and they [Ukrainian forces] haven’t really gone through the first line,” said a senior Western diplomat. “Even if they would keep on fighting for the next several weeks, if they haven’t been able to make more breakthroughs throughout these last seven, eight weeks, what is the likelihood that they will suddenly, with more depleted forces, make them? Because the conditions are so hard.”

(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
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The most amazing aspect of this is that anyone ever thought Ukraine would prevail given the fact on the ground.

Including Freepers, who are smarter than the average bear.

1 posted on 08/08/2023 9:19:40 AM PDT by Mariner
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To: Mariner

“This is the most difficult time of the war...send us a TRILLION DOLLARS ASAP.”


2 posted on 08/08/2023 9:22:47 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (We are proles, they are nobility.)
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To: Mariner

What I notice is the language from the Western media and neocon deep-staters has changed

Commentary referencing Ukraine is now all “THEY,” and “THEM,” never “WE,” as it used to be.

The DC turds are now trying to create some distance and deniability.


3 posted on 08/08/2023 9:24:11 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: Mariner

But if they just argued the Ratio of the number of destroyed Russian tanks to the number of Russian tanks left in museums, they may of had a chance to paint a better outlook......


4 posted on 08/08/2023 9:31:44 AM PDT by Lockbox (politicians, they all seemed like game show hosts to me.... Sting)
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To: Mariner

Russia held Crimea for 8 years before this war started...and Ukraine was doing fine without it. Donbass has remained a civil war through those years. Both areas which held a referendum AND which have had special status since 1991 should be gifted to Russia....just like da Kruschev gifted Crimea to Ukraine...and stop this stupid war which benefits no one.


5 posted on 08/08/2023 9:33:07 AM PDT by Sacajaweau ( )
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To: Mariner

You’re talking freepers. But what we really have is intelligence agents using old inactive freeper accounts. They are obvious.


6 posted on 08/08/2023 9:38:32 AM PDT by Seruzawa ("The Political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence" - Marx the Smarter (Groucho))
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To: PGR88

And to try and figure out how to blame President Trump!


7 posted on 08/08/2023 9:41:35 AM PDT by Maine Mariner
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To: Mariner

This is an example of narrative meeting blood and iron.

And, I’m afraid, it’s a lesson which our leaders are VERY reluctant to learn.

If they were serious about fighting a multifront World War (and not ending European civilization with canned sunshine) our military buildup would have started already - men, planes, ships, ordnance - but none of that is happening.

And, of course, it’s not happening because of that little “consent of the governed” thing. If the existing bipartisan Congressional membership actually enacted a draft to raise the land forces to, say, 5 million men, the navy to 700 ships, and bought things that go “boom” to accompany the men, they know that January 6 to the tenth power would end their cozy situations.

We are living in very dangerous times, led by people who believe in the narrative as opposed to reality.


8 posted on 08/08/2023 9:45:00 AM PDT by Jim Noble (He who saves the nation breaks no law)
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To: Jim Noble

“...actually enacted a draft to raise the land forces to, say, 5 million men, ...”


The USA no longer has the boot or uniform manufacturing capability to do this.

It would be a barefoot army dressed in civilian clothes.


9 posted on 08/08/2023 9:52:43 AM PDT by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
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To: Seruzawa

The Spring advance is looking more and more like “The Charge of the Light Brigade” Re-enactment. Ukraine gets to play British Lancers, Russians get to play—well, Russians with lots of cannons. Outcome the same. This is devolving into a war of who can tough it out longer. My money is on Russia. Russia isn’t America—we would give in sooner. Once the war becomes unpopular it will fade like BudLight Beer.


10 posted on 08/08/2023 9:53:06 AM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade ( Ride to the sound of the Guns!)
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To: Jim Noble
--- "We are living in very dangerous times, led by people who believe in the narrative as opposed to reality."

Kudos. Needs to be repeated.

11 posted on 08/08/2023 9:54:13 AM PDT by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: Mariner

CNN, due to its RADICAL lefty viewpoints, suffers from a COMPLETE lack of credibility having squandered what credibility they once had.

They are so awful I won’t even read them anymore on anything other than a car accident.


12 posted on 08/08/2023 9:54:35 AM PDT by Cen-Tejas
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To: Mariner

For the NWO to confiscate Ukrainian and Russian land, they first must kill all the men off who defend the land. That appears to be progressing as planned


13 posted on 08/08/2023 9:59:28 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
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To: Cen-Tejas
They are so awful I won’t even read them anymore on anything other than a car accident.

Our involvement in Ukriane isn't a car accident but an entire train wreck.

If CNN is finally reporting on it thus, the neocon/Biden Ukraine enterprise is done.

14 posted on 08/08/2023 10:06:11 AM PDT by AAABEST ( NY/DC/CA media/political/military industrial complex DELENDA EST)
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To: Mariner

From 1943-1945, the Russians suffered huge casualties attacking German strong points ringed with multi layered defenses and kill zones. Apparently the Russians learned from this experience.


15 posted on 08/08/2023 10:15:00 AM PDT by allendale
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To: Mariner

The lie embedded in this story is that this is some recent revelation - rather than they knew this from day one, and they just lied and said the counter-offensive is going great.


16 posted on 08/08/2023 10:17:45 AM PDT by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
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To: Jan_Sobieski

“For the NWO to confiscate Ukrainian and Russian land, they first must kill all the men off who defend the land. That appears to be progressing as planned”

~~~~~~~~~~
I was slow to realize this plan but that does explain why the war never conformed to military analysts expectations. They assumed it was a war for a homeland when in fact it’s a war to claim new land for NWO participants. That’s why there never was an effort to maintain living conditions for the public. Putin attacked infrastructure thinking there was a ‘need’ to maintain living conditions and so Zelensky et. al. would stop and negotiate. But there was this heedless “I don’t care if the public has running water or heat” approach and the treatment of Ukrainian men as expendable. Finally I realized that the NWO/NATO participants expected to gain territory from Ukraine (participation prizes?) and the people living there needed to be gone, one way or another.


17 posted on 08/08/2023 10:26:17 AM PDT by ransomnote (IN GOD WE TRUST)
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To: Mariner

More stalemate and more death, just the way the globalists want it.


18 posted on 08/08/2023 10:26:47 AM PDT by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA! AMERICA FIRST! DEATH TO MARXISM AN GLOBALISM! Trump 2024, NO more Mr Nice)
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To: Seruzawa

“But what we really have is intelligence agents using old inactive freeper accounts.”

That could not happen unless Jim/John gave them the accounts...or the individuals did.


19 posted on 08/08/2023 10:57:52 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Cen-Tejas

So, you’re saying this is all lies and Ukraine is doing swimmingly...soon to oust their occupiers?


20 posted on 08/08/2023 11:00:48 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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