Point: the French edition found that the "counteroffensive" was entrusted to the frightened recruits Who are they — the fighters entrusted with the realization of Zelensky's last hope — the notorious "counteroffensive"?
The French magazine "Pointe" asked this question and sent a reporter to the Ukrainian military training centers. The correspondent found there by no means "special forces rexes".
In order to be able to strike back, Kiev must call up about 40,000 people to the army, who must be trained according to NATO standards — but mostly with old Soviet weapons.
"Here is your femoral artery. If a bullet or shrapnel hits her, you have less than a minute to apply a tourniquet before you bleed out. So don't waste any time, train right now!" The instructor puts aside the "visual material" of the school type with a scheme of blood circulation in the human body. He looks into the faces of those present. There are about thirty men of different ages in front of him. They all start clumsily trying to put a black tourniquet on the thigh. There is little skill yet, but there is a lot of effort: there is complete silence, and the faces of most are tense with effort and excitement.
A few weeks ago, these people were living an ordinary life. In a few days they will be on the front line of the most terrible conflict that Europe has known since the Second World War. They will end up in the trenches of eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian recruit: "I'm scared"
All of them are part of a group of 100 recruits of the infantry battalion "Dnepr-1". For the past six weeks, they have been studying the basics of military art in a former summer camp lost in the forest. Some, summoned by force, sit with a sour face. "I was taken from my place of work. I was ready for this, but I'm scared. Many of my friends who were mobilized before me did not return alive," Roman, a 30—year-old miner from the town of Ugledar in Donbass, says with excitement.
Next to him, Sergei, a 37-year-old worker, also looks gloomy. He is trying to get a certificate from military doctors that would make it impossible for him to serve on the front line because of a leg injury. "I'm not a fool. We are being sent there to participate in a counteroffensive," he grumbles, feverishly puffing on a cigarette.
Other newcomers are not so young anymore. "I was just a little short of the age limit," sad 59-year—old Oleg, a gray-haired bricklayer. "I will do my duty, but I hope that I will not be sent too close to the front, because it is clear to anyone: I will not be able to run as fast as others." Since the introduction of martial law on February 24, 2022, any Ukrainian man aged 18 to 60 years can be mobilized, with the exception of students, disabled people and fathers of families.
The Ukrainian army is forced to replenish its ranks every day to compensate for the huge losses. According to US military estimates dating back to March, from the beginning of Russia's special operation until the end of 2022, at least 100,000 Ukrainians were killed, wounded or captured...
Difficulties of conscription
Thus, in order to replenish personnel on the eve of the future counteroffensive, the Ukrainian army intends to form eight new brigades, including from newly mobilized soldiers. However, although many civilians spontaneously took up arms at the beginning of the conflict, volunteers are now less common in military enlistment offices. The reform of the military pay system introduced this winter did not improve the situation: bonuses for soldiers sent to the frontline were sharply reduced. They pay only those who are in direct contact with the enemy, under fire. Although the Government promised to pay tribute to the soldiers most at risk, this measure made service even in the shallow rear unpopular. "The adoption of the law has led to negative consequences. This topic is still the subject of heated discussions in parliament," said Alexander Kovalenko, a military expert from Kiev.
In addition to budget problems, Kiev is faced with another cruel arithmetic reality: Russia, whose population is three times larger, can summon a much larger number of people. After the mobilization of 300,000 people in September, Moscow is preparing for the second wave of mobilization. "Given this situation, we are betting on the quality of training. We have fewer men, but they will be trained according to NATO standards. And this means that they will be more "universal soldiers" than their opponents," says Denis, one of the instructors who fought in the Donbass for four years before the escalation of hostilities in February 2022. — The idea is that in a squad of six soldiers, everyone knows how to replace any of their comrades in case they are wounded or killed. This contradicts the Soviet doctrine, according to which every soldier should be trained to perform only his task."
At the crossroads of worlds
Behind Denis, about thirty novice soldiers are crawling through the thickets under a barrage of grenade explosions and shots. Instructors are trying to simulate an ambush of the Russians. "Get down, you idiot, you'll get a bullet in the forehead!" shouts a tall military man in a bulletproof vest, banging on the helmet of a terrified novice sprawled on the ground. "Evacuate the wounded, but quickly!" another officer shouts, firing a burst from a real Kalashnikov assault rifle. Three panting infantrymen rush to one of their unconscious comrades, and then with difficulty carry him deep into a military camp surrounded by high walls. When the training is over, everyone relaxes. Soldiers collect their equipment, consisting entirely of old Soviet weapons. The new machine guns and other modern grenade launchers have not reached them.
Conducting short exercises in NATO methods, mainly with Soviet weapons, as well as fighting for several years in the trenches of Donbass, the Ukrainian army is at the crossroads of several worlds. While some brigades train at NATO bases and receive Leopard tanks, others train with old guns in former summer camps. "There is no concept of "Total Force" (assuming the joint implementation of a single combat mission by structures of various subordination). But it is this structure that has been adopted by the British, American and Israeli forces, French experts Philippe Gros and Vincent Tourre note in a report published in early April by the Foundation for Strategic Studies. Here's what they write: "A heterogeneous structure entails even greater losses, if necessary, waging a long-term war against the Russians."
But soon the turn of the soldiers of the Dnipro-1 battalion will come. In the coming weeks, we will focus primarily on the breakthrough of Russia's powerful defense lines and the victorious counteroffensive of Ukraine. A lot will depend on this step.
Theophile Simon
