Why Ukraine’s counter-offensive didn’t go as planned? Armed Forces’ Commander-in-Chief explains

Ukraine’s counter-offensive did not go as planned. The Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces explained the main flaws in an interview with the Economist.

The Ukrainian forces advanced barely 17 kilometers in the five months of the counter-offensive. This dashed Kyiv’s and the West’s hopes for a lightning strike that would convince Russian tyrant Putin that the war is unwinnable.

The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces believed that severe casualties would push the Kremlin to call a halt to the war.

“I made a mistake. Russia has lost at least 150,000 soldiers. Such casualties would have put an end to the war in any other country. However, Russia has once again demonstrated that human life is meaningless to it”, Zaluzhnyi conceded.

Why did Ukraine’s counter-offensive not go according to plan?

If all had gone as planned, the Ukrainian Armed Forces would have advanced at a rate of 30 kilometers per day, breaching Russian defenses.

“Four months should have been enough time for us to get to Crimea, fight there, return to Crimea, and go in and out again,” General Zaluzhnyi stated.

However, the truth was rather different. The Ukrainian troops and equipment became entangled in minefields, and Western weapons were targeted by enemy artillery and drones.

Ukraine needs a set of technical solutions – Gen. Zaluzhnyi

According to the commander-in-chief, the failure was caused by Ukraine being at the same level of technological development as the enemy, which caused the deadlock: “it stuns both us and our enemies.”

The Chief of the armed forces believes that technology will be a crucial component in the conflict.

Ukraine requires not just one innovative invention, but an entire set of technical solutions to take the lead and liberate the Russian-occupied territories.

5 components to help Ukraine win the war against Russia

Gen. Zaluzhnyi emphasized that this battle cannot be won with outdated weaponry and strategies that will definitely result in defeat. He outlined five major tasks that will assist Ukraine in avoiding a positional war, which benefits the enemy while harming Ukraine and Europe.

These include air superiority, advanced counter-battery weapons, demining technologies, reserve build-up and innovative approaches.

The threat of a shift to positional warfare is a serious challenge for Ukraine. Delay is beneficial to Russian invaders, as it will give them the opportunity to restore and build up his military potential.

Therefore, in today’s reality, it is extremely important to understand the conditions for the possible occurrence of such a situation and prevent it for the sake of our victory,” said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Superiority in the air. The ability to control the sky is critical for large-scale ground operations. The Russian air force has suffered massive losses as a result of Ukraine’s actions. More than 550 air defense systems, in particular, were destroyed.

At the same time, Russia retains aerial dominance. The aggressor country is still able to create new strike squadrons. This makes progress for Ukrainian soldiers impossible.

Mine-clearing technology. Western allies’ equipment help Ukraine. However, given the size of the mined areas, it is insufficient. When Ukrainian warriors breach certain minefields, Russia constructs new ones.

Building up military reserves. Unfortunately, Ukraine has few options for training its reserves on its own soil. Furthermore, there are legal loopholes that allow citizens to avoid their responsibilities.

General Zaluzhnyi stated that new and innovative tactics could transform this battle from a positional to a maneuvering war.