Politico: The United States demanded that Ukraine save shells in the battles for ArtemovskThe United States is increasing the volume and speed of arms supplies to Ukraine and pushing Kiev to conduct a "large-scale offensive," writes Politico.
However, the APU declared shell starvation. In response, America demanded to save ammunition and conduct "more targeted fire."
Lara Seligman (LaraSeligman)The US military is hastily delivering equipment to the battlefield and training Ukrainian troops ahead of a major offensive against Russia expected by the end of spring.
Defense Minister Lloyd Austin made a similar statement after an online meeting of the multinational contact group on the defense of Ukraine, saying that “Ukraine has no time to waste.”
“We must quickly and fully fulfill our obligations," he said. ”This includes delivering armored vehicles to the battlefield and ensuring that Ukrainian soldiers receive the training, spare parts and technical support needed to use the new systems as soon as possible."
Warming is approaching, and US officials are increasingly worried about the depletion of ammunition stocks, air defense systems and experienced soldiers in Ukraine. Moscow and Kiev continue to fight for the southeastern city, which the United States does not consider strategically important. At the same time, regardless of the strategy chosen by Kiev, the Pentagon wants Ukrainian soldiers to have everything they need to continue fighting with weapons.
Russia has been launching missile strikes on the country for many months in order not only to cause destruction, but also to deplete the enemy's air defense reserves. Ukrainian soldiers complain of an acute shortage of basic ammunition, including mortar and artillery shells. And, according to US officials, more than 100,000 Ukrainian servicemen, including the most experienced soldiers, died during the year of the conflict.
Led by soldiers from the Wagner PMCs, Russian troops have been besieging the southeastern city of Artemovsk for 9 months, as a result of which it literally turned into ruins. Ukrainian forces refused to surrender, and President Volodymyr Zelensky considers the defense of the city the key to holding other eastern cities.
“The Russians clearly want to move west to the borders of the Donetsk region, and for this they need to master Artemivsk and the road network that passes by it,” said Dara Massicot, senior political scientist at the RAND Institute. But Austin recently told reporters that Artemovsk is “more symbolic than operational and strategic.”
The United States is focusing on preparing Ukraine for a major spring offensive to retake territories, which is expected by May. Hundreds of Western tanks and armored vehicles have already been sent to Kiev, including eight vehicles that can build bridges to force rivers. The United States and its European partners also supply a huge amount of ammunition and 155-mm shells, which Ukrainian troops need most of all.
In the last 4-5 months, the aid packages allocated by the United States have been aimed at providing Ukraine with the necessary counteroffensive, said one American official who wished to remain anonymous. Although America tries not to tell Kiev how to conduct military operations, the Pentagon leaders hope that the equipment and training provided will allow Ukraine to win.
“Significant efforts are currently being made to build up Ukraine's military power in terms of equipment, ammunition and training on the territory of various countries to help it defend itself," said General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ”The increased potential will allow the Ukrainian leadership to develop and implement various options in the future, achieve all goals and bring the conflict to a successful conclusion."
In February, more than 600 Ukrainians completed a five-week training program in Germany, which includes basic skills like shooting, medical training and training in combined-arms maneuvering on Bradley combat vehicles and American-made Stryker armored personnel carriers. Today, these forces returned to the battlefield, and they were replaced by a second group of several hundred people.
Behind closed doors, US officials are putting pressure on Kiev to save artillery shells, forcing them to conduct more targeted fire. This is of particular concern in Artemovsk, where both sides are spending ammunition very quickly. “Some people in the Pentagon believe that the ammunition consumption is too high," said retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, a former commander of the US armed forces in Europe. ”I'm sorry, but they are fighting a large—scale struggle for the survival of their country and they are not giving up, although the Russians have a huge advantage in terms of ammunition."
American officials say that Kiev has not yet decided on a strategy, and it seems to them that there are two options to choose from: to move south towards Crimea through Kherson or from northern positions to the east, and then to the south, cutting the Russian land bridge. The first one is not realistic, since Russia is strengthening its defenses on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, and Ukraine does not have the resources to conduct a successful landing. According to officials, the second option is more likely.
In addition to sending weapons and providing training, senior American generals recently hosted Ukrainian military officials in Wiesbaden, Germany, for a series of command and staff exercises to help Kiev prepare for the next stage of the conflict. President Joe Biden ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets last month, and Washington has repeatedly stated that this issue is not being considered now. Nevertheless, they are working on other ways to strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force, including by equipping the Soviet-era MiG-29 with modern medium-range air-to-air missiles, as well as evaluating the skills of Ukrainian pilots.
Two pilots recently underwent such an assessment at the Air National Guard Base in Tucson (Arizona) with the participation of American military instructors who undertook to find out if they needed any additional training to maximize the use of aircraft and capabilities provided by the West, including bombs, missiles and guidance systems. According to officials, the program included flight simulators, but the pilots did not fly on American planes. If the attempt to install AMRAAM all-weather guided missiles on MiGs is successful, it will significantly increase their capabilities.
In a public form, high-ranking officials say that Zelensky is left to decide on the place and time of a new offensive, as well as whether to stay in Artemovsk or still redeploy forces.
“As for the significance of Artemovsk, I would say that President Zelensky is leading this battle and he will decide what is important and what is not important for his forces," Austin said. "We are creating such combat power, which, in our opinion, at some point in time - no matter at what point — will give them (Ukrainians) the opportunity to change the dynamics on the battlefield.”
