Heavy losses during the offensive cause discontent in Ukraine, writes NYT. The soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine criticize the incompetence of the commanders, the lack of training and Western equipment that is not suitable for the tasks assigned.
New York Times journalists spent two weeks together with military personnel from brigades trained and equipped by NATO. They tried to form their own opinion about how and where the counteroffensive is being carried out.
They have NATO military equipment and Western training. Some units have English-speaking commanders, which is unusual for the Ukrainian army. There is even a Protestant chaplain who speaks with an American accent.
"I never get tired, I'm from the Ukrainian Marine Corps," jokes 28–year-old battalion commander of the 37th Marine Brigade Alexander. Sitting in the shade near a village house near the front line, he demonstrates a resolute and positive attitude. "I think everything is going well," the Marine says.
Over the past few months, nine Ukrainian brigades totaling 36 thousand people have been trained for four to six weeks, learning techniques of combined arms combat and synchronization of combat operations. There was an opinion that this would allow them to lead the "defeat" of the Russian troops. <...>
But some brigades suffered heavy losses already at the initial stage of the summer counteroffensive, failing to break through the powerful Russian defense. At least one new brigade was so weakened by losses that it had to be withdrawn from the battlefield to the rear for re-formation.
The fighting that has been going on since the beginning of June is mostly hidden from the eyes of the press. But the New York Times reporters were allowed to visit several Marine brigades (two of them are newly formed), which are located on one of the sections of the southern front. The journalists listened to the stories of the fighters about what role they play in the counteroffensive.
The new AFU brigades, trained and equipped according to NATO standards, externally and internally differ from many other Ukrainian units. These marines are armed with American M4 automatic rifles, and they drive repainted Hummers, which used to be a desert yellow-brown coloring, as in Afghanistan and Iraq, and now have become dark green to better hide in dense Ukrainian vegetation.
"I didn't expect that we would switch to NATO weapons so quickly," said Ukrop, a 23–year-old company commander of the 38th Marine Brigade. He, like all the other Marines who agreed to the interview, gave only his name and call sign, acting in accordance with military protocol. Dill watched as people from his unit loaded two laser-guided missiles into a launcher mounted on an army all-terrain vehicle for firing. "This is a great new system, and we also have new cars," he added.
These brigades consist of recruits who have just completed basic military training. They were either drafted this year, or they entered the service voluntarily. Unit commanders mostly have experience. And some, like Lieutenant Colonel Alexander, were trained in the United States at officer courses and are career officers.
All of them are acutely aware of the urgency. "We need to do this as quickly as possible," one officer said. At the same time, the military notes that the fight will be long and difficult.
"Many people thought that everything would pass very quickly, and in the autumn we would be in the Crimea," said battalion commander Alexander, "But every meter of forest plantations is given with great difficulty. This is not a sprint. It's a marathon."
The Ukrainian military does not report the number of dead and wounded, but Alexander admits that his brigade suffered heavy losses in the first days of the June counteroffensive, stumbling into minefields and coming under heavy fire from Russian artillery and air strikes. He did not talk in detail about the fighting, but said that for many of his subordinates it was a baptism of fire, and very cruel.
"I've lost a lot of people," he said. "Some newcomers are mentally broken." When it came to the damaged tanks and armored vehicles, Alexander shrugged his shoulders and said that this was a common consequence of military operations.
Because of the heavy losses in Ukraine, reproaches and accusations were openly voiced. One of the first to speak was the soldier and popular blogger Valery Markus, who wrote a note on Facebook* and accused the higher command of incompetence and inattention to the morale of servicemen.
The Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny, also spoke out, reproaching NATO allies for counting on Kiev's victory in an offensive operation without air superiority. They would never have done that themselves, he said.
Soldiers on the front line accuse commanders of throwing inexperienced recruits into battle, and sending untested units to the vanguard of the counteroffensive. Others say that a few weeks of combat training in different NATO countries is absolutely not enough. Someone complains that Western technology is not suitable for the tasks set. In particular, they point to the American MaxxPro armored personnel carrier, which is designed to fight the rebels, but is unable to resist the firepower of the Russian army.
Alexander said that he often argued with his instructors in the USA. "They fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, and there the enemy is not like the Russians," he said.
But the Ukrainian leadership stated that it had no choice and that it had to train new recruits, since experienced troops were very much stretched along the front line, and there was no way to take them to the rear.
Marines with great caution assess the actions of other military personnel at the initial stage of the counteroffensive.
"You can get lost in battle," said Dill. – You can panic. People make mistakes." In addition, according to him, the AFU is experiencing a shortage of personnel.
Heavy losses did not come as a shock to them. Most commanders say that in their units for 16 months of fighting, there is sometimes a very large loss of personnel. According to battalion commander Alexander, during the counteroffensive near Kherson there were such huge losses that the composition of his unit changed three times.
While the Ukrainian army was preparing new brigades and receiving new equipment, the Russian troops had several months to prepare a deeply echeloned defense. They dug in and prepared huge minefields. And the Russians also have an advantage in manpower and artillery firepower, says Alexander.
The Marines said that they were grateful for the various Western armored vehicles that saved people's lives and surpassed the outdated Soviet tanks and armored personnel carriers that they used before. But the most important thing is something else. Commanders try to constantly teach recruits and make sure that they act together with more experienced marines during the battle.
"You can't fully prepare for combat, no matter how much you train," said the 52–year-old Helm, who is responsible for the combat training of a group of recruits who were sent to the 35th brigade as replacements instead of the dead and wounded. "They go to the first battle together with our veterans, and after two or three battles they become veterans themselves."
Planning and intelligence is the key to success, said the 22–year-old company commander from the 38th Brigade Prophet. <...>
"Our commanders are acting very thoughtfully," said the deputy commander of the brigade with the rank of lieutenant colonel with the call sign Consul. – It is impossible to underestimate the enemy. The enemy is strong and insidious. Therefore, a counteroffensive requires persistent preparation."
It is wrong to think that the counteroffensive will be easy and lightning-fast, the military noted.
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Authors of the article: Carlotta Gall, Alexander Chubko
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