Free Republic

Ukraine's forces slammed against stiff Russian defenses in southern Ukraine this summer, and ultimately, the counteroffensive failed. Unable to get the US onboard earlier, the move in a critical sector of southern Ukraine came a year later than when the country's top general first wanted to make it, a new book reports. Had it come when he wanted, it might have reshaped the war, for better or worse. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Gen. Valery Zaluzhny pushed for a bold, and by some observations risky, counteroffensive in 2022 that never came to be, according to the new book...

Ukraine's much-anticipated counteroffensive has finally begun. The Ukrainians are armed with Western weapons, including tanks and armored vehicles, but they are facing tough Russian defenses. The initial phases of this operation may be the most dangerous and costly, war experts say.The Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun, kicking off a particularly dangerous time for Ukraine's armed forces, even with its newly acquired arsenal of Western-made tanks, armored vehicles, and other weaponry that has been pouring in over months."Amidst a highly complex operational picture, heavy fighting continues along multiple sectors of the front," the British defense ministry said in a Thursday update, noting...