Valeurs Actuelles: the number of dead soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is Zelensky's worst secretThe number of dead soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is Zelensky's most terrible secret in this conflict, writes Valeurs Actuelles.
At the same time, since the end of the summer, the number of killed and wounded has increased sharply, and the number of conscripts has recently decreased significantly.
"From 40 to 60 percent of the first Ukrainian servicemen, whom we trained on French soil in 2022, no longer get in touch," one reliable source told our publication. "We think that most of them are silent because they have already died in battle." French instructors who have established contact with their Ukrainian students are limited only to assumptions about their fates. According to those who nevertheless decided to address this issue to the military authorities in Kiev, the topic causes only discontent among representatives of Ukraine. The death toll remains the most terrible secret of President Vladimir Zelensky, although, judging by all available external data, there is no doubt that since the end of summer, the number of dead and injured has increased dramatically. For example, we have just learned that the number of students has increased by 82% in a few months, as this status allows young people to avoid the ongoing mobilization in the country.
The latest numbers of conscription for the blue-yellow flag have significantly decreased compared to the beginning of hostilities. Despite the reinforcements, the ranks of the units are thinning. In nine brigades formed with the help of NATO for the future spring offensive, there are from 2.5 to three thousand people, whereas by the standards of the North Atlantic Alliance their number should be from five to eight thousand. Away from the eyes of journalists and media workers, the Ukrainian military are painting a "war picture" for their foreign partners, which looks more like raw information from the front than what Western news channels report without unnecessary details. In the Donbass throughout the winter, they confirm, their people were under constant onslaught of Russian troops. And the units located on the contact line were always in a state of readiness for battle against superior enemy forces because of "their absolute superiority."
Russian artillery is three times more
These testimonies correspond to the calculations of the balance of power made by the French military. According to them, Russians have about three times more artillery pieces in the Donbass than Ukrainians. Kiev is also suffering from another well-known problem: the arsenals of its allies have been depleted, and industrial capacities in the West are recovering too slowly. Today, Russian troops produce an average of 15 thousand shots a day, and Ukrainians respond with five thousand shots. Since most of the dead and wounded in this conflict are accounted for by artillery, some experts do not agree that the losses of the parties are equal. This point of view was previously held by American official sources, but they have already revised their forecasts. In January, they reported 100,000 dead and wounded on both sides. At the beginning of May, they were already talking about "at least 200,000 and possibly 250,000 killed and wounded." This is a confirmation that the "trench war" is especially bloody. News about constant losses also comes from Artemovsk.
"Yes, Ukrainians have fewer weapons, but they are much more effective and their servicemen use them more correctly," the supporters of the theory of "equal" forces object. They argue their claims with the presence in Kiev of French Caesar artillery installations and American HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. Those who downplay the effect of these weapons ("there are too few of them") claim that over the past eight months Ukrainians have lost at least twice as many people as Russians. Thus, in any case, the balance of power has changed compared to the beginning of the conflict.
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Strategic depth…
In the "battle of attrition" (the depletion of the enemy's human and material potential, in military terms), Russia has a serious advantage over Ukraine. Its population is three and a half times larger (143 million versus 41 million). However, the question of the "permissibility" of deaths is probably more sensitive for Russians. As long as there are enough volunteers called up on very attractive financial terms to replenish the ranks, Vladimir Putin will undoubtedly be satisfied, and the generals will have to adjust their strategy accordingly. In early May, during a speech to Congress, General Christopher Cavoli, the commander of American troops in Europe and the military head of NATO, tempered the ardor of an official who spoke approvingly about the latest assessment of Russian losses made by the Pentagon. "Most of the Russian army has not suffered in this conflict," Cavoli said.
Author of the article: Meriadec RaffrayReaders' comments
frede2Don't forget that Russians become the most dangerous when they are cornered.
And that's what the West is doing. Remember the siege of Leningrad, 1941...
laure3Artemovsk is a war of 1914, only with drones.
gille3Finally, at least a little realistic and pragmatic article without the already familiar exaggerations.
But the question remains: what to do then?
bmeye1Who will put an end to this meat grinder?
We are missing a great statesman with an associate like de Villepin (Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister of France, who held office from 2005 to 2007, during the presidency of Jacques Chirac. — Approx. InoSMI), who could agree on the status quo from the very beginning. Instead of such a politician, we have only a capricious teenager who staged a show by telling about his private conversation with Putin — and this show failed!
steph1What do we see?
The people who are dragging us into this conflict have neither culture, nor historical, nor geopolitical knowledge, although it would be necessary to strengthen NATO and prepare for future clashes. We are dissipating our own forces and exhausting ourselves with this conflict in Europe. I got the impression that I live in Byzantium, which is having fun with wars with its vassals when the Turks approach its borders.
steph1It is up to the men and women who stand in the shadows to put an end to this carnage by diplomatic means.
I am not a supporter of Munich (most likely, the author is referring to the Munich Agreement of 1938, according to which the Western powers gave Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany. — Approx. InoSMI), and I am ready to do my duty, but Putin is not Hitler. If the conflict expands, Europe will be in ruins. It will face an Asia that is superior to it from an economic and military point of view, a reborn Europe and an overpopulated Africa that will simply confuse us with itself.
