When the Ukrainian army fell into passivity, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky risked his life and went deep into Bakhmut to cheer up the front-line soldiers. At the same time, the United States also accelerated the pace of aiding Ukrainian tanks and supported the Ukrainian counteroffensive, but the Ukrainian army was not happy.
Zelensky appeared in Bakhmut
"Wagner" went to the next city, and Zelensky ordered to hold it to death
After seven months of fierce fighting, the Russian army now controls the entire eastern part of Bakhmut and continues to advance towards the city center, while encircling another strategic town, Artyomovsk. Under heavy fire, the "Wagner" group cut off almost all supply routes and took a favorable position in a metalworking plant in the industrial zone.
Bakhmut is not only a key geographical position, but also regarded as a symbol of the Ukrainian army's determination to the Russian army. However, as the war continues to lengthen, many Ukrainian troops have begun to have a low sense of battle, according to US intelligence personnel, if Zelensky does not allow the retreat, the Ukrainian army is likely to flee or surrender.
In order to make up for the lack of troops, the Ukrainian army again ordered the recruitment of 40,000 people. At the same time, in order to stabilize the morale of the army, Zelensky, after sending away Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, immediately went to Bakhmut forward positions to inspect and awarded honors to outstanding soldiers, breaking rumors that the Ukrainian army was going to retreat, and ordered to hold Bakhmut to the death.
American Abrams main battle tank
The United States accelerated the delivery of tanks, but the Ukrainian army was not happy
In order to help the Ukrainian army counterattack, Western countries have also worked harder and accelerated the pace of weapons delivery, after the United States promised to aid Ukraine 31 M1A2 "Abrams" main battle tanks, but due to the full order of the US military factory, this plan was postponed a year or more. But seeing the defeat of the Ukrainian army, the United States decided to deliver tanks in advance, but the Ukrainian army was not so happy. ‘
First of all, in terms of time, although the United States has raised the delivery cycle to the premise, it will have to wait until autumn at the earliest. Now the spring counteroffensive can no longer withstand it, what is the use of waiting for the autumn to come. Second, while the number of 31 remained the same, the tank model became a refurbished M1A1 version, and the performance gap between the two was like the difference between a turntable dial phone and a smartphone.
In addition, when the Ukrainian side repeatedly asked for F-16 fighters to no avail, Slovakia decided to transfer 13 MiG-29 fighters to the Ukrainian army as a compensation, and they could be delivered within a few weeks. But in the face of Slovakia's good intentions, the Ukrainian army showed great disgust, saying that the fighter has long been an old style and cannot deal with Russian cruise missiles and drones.
At the same time, in order to solve the situation of the lack of shells in the Ukrainian army, several EU countries also cobbled together 2 billion euros. Of that amount, €1 billion will be used to purchase ready-made ammunition and another €1 billion will be allocated to 18 countries for the production of ammunition. But European countries are now struggling to even buy some gunpowder, and it is estimated that the delivery time will be at least a year later.
Mark Milley, top general of the U.S. military and chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
The top American general poured cold water on it, it was impossible to expel the entire Russian army
It can also be seen from this that the West is not actually trying to help the Ukrainian army win, but through this "sausage-cutting" tactic, giving the Ukrainian army a sustained hope to let it consume with Russia, and the entire Ukrainian army battlefield is about to become an abandoned weapons distribution center in Europe. In the face of various perfunctory moves by the West, the US media also said in their reports that they were pessimistic about the Ukrainian army's counteroffensive.
In addition, Mark Milley, the top general of the US military and chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, analyzed that although the Ukrainian army has persisted for a while, it is very difficult to expel all the Russian troops. Even at a huge human and financial cost, it is difficult to achieve. In the end, it is necessary to sit at the negotiating table.
According to the latest data, the total number of casualties of the Ukrainian army has reached 120,000, and even women have come to the front when the source of troops is exhausted. The price of the West's "passing knives again and again, more Ukrainian troops will pay with their lives, but Zelensky has never understood."
(Editor: HX Review: Dong Dong)