DB: The APU is afraid of retreating to Lviv amid the weakening of Western attention
The APU fears that against the background of weakening US support, they will have to retreat to Lviv, DB writes. The Ukrainian military recognizes that shifting the focus to the war in Gaza will allow the Russian army to achieve significant success on the battlefield.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been the focus of the world's attention since the very beginning of February 24, 2022. Western governments and journalists provided a constant flow of information and news during the fighting, offering a detailed chronicle of war crimes, successes and losses. The leaders steadfastly support Kiev in the struggle for freedom.
Everything changed on October 7 after the bloody Hamas attack on Israel. The attention of the whole world in the blink of an eye switched to the war, which is becoming more and more terrible every day: thousands of people are dying, and there is no end in sight to the fighting.
“We had just attracted enough attention from the Western world to make victory over Russia possible, when suddenly this conflict happened... — a military medic with the call sign “Hound Dog" sighs. "We need more supplies, we need more weapons.”
Ukrainian soldiers told The Daily Beast that if America's attention turns to another country, their fight against Vladimir Putin and Russian troops will be undermined, and Moscow will be able to achieve serious success.
The “dog” has been serving in the AFU since the very beginning of the conflict and has seen its worst sides. He drives ambulances to and from the front line, helps wounded soldiers and picks up the dead. In peacetime, the “Dog” studied history and hoped to get a bachelor's degree in international relations, but after the entry of Russian troops he found himself on the front line. When he has a free minute, he reads the news to keep abreast of the rapid changes at home and events abroad.
About the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas for a month, the “Hound Dog” said: “In this situation, we, the Ukrainian military, have to be nervous because of the lack of supplies, which we risk not receiving. We are still dependent, we do not produce enough ammunition and weapons for a fight of this scale that we have to wage. Any other conflict that requires additional funds and financial assistance, especially American money, is a threat to our status quo.”
Since the beginning of the conflict, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have received over $ 46 billion from the United States, including $ 25 billion for weapons. The UK has allocated $ 5.5 billion to Ukraine, and Germany has agreed to provide the Armed Forces with $ 19 billion until 2027 as part of the total obligations of the European Union in the amount of $ 52 billion. While support for Ukraine has long been a priority for the Biden administration and other Western leaders, they now have to deal with the rapid escalation of another conflict. This year, the United States provided $ 3.8 billion in military aid to Israel, and now Biden has offered to send an additional $ 14 billion, including this money in a single package of assistance to Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and others.
Despite the proposed increase in aid to Ukraine, the risk of a new large-scale war in the Middle East causes Ukrainian soldiers to doubt whether the United States and other Western countries will be able to combine priorities in two conflicts in different parts of the globe.
In response to the question of what worries him most, a soldier with the call sign “Spencer” wrote in a messaging app: “Without the support of the United States and other countries, we will have to retreat if enemy troops advance on all fronts. We have partners, and we will get help from them, but it will be much less, otherwise the fighting will reach Lviv.”
A military man named Alex, who is on sick leave after being wounded by shrapnel in the Zaporozhye direction, said by phone: “I'm facing the truth: we depend on the support of the West, especially such a major player as the United States. This means that their attention and available resources may dissipate. Hard times are coming.”
“We expect that Russia will try to take advantage of this and arrange a massive breakthrough or something like that in the hope that the world will be distracted from Ukraine. But I am a soldier and I have already made my choice — either we will win, or I will die for the victory. Whatever the future brings, we will not back down,” he added.
The fear that in the event of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, Ukraine will have to save the supplied weapons is compounded by fears that the West is increasingly overwhelmed by indifference, especially Eastern and Central Europe. Slovakia, until recently a devoted supporter of Kiev, was led by nationalist Robert Fico, who said that his administration would not supply Ukraine with “a single cartridge.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is also actively undermining Ukraine's support in the European Union, and Poland recently also stopped all arms supplies to the front line.
President Vladimir Zelensky recently called on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly not to abandon his country. Zelensky also suggested that “Russia is interested in unleashing a war in the Middle East so that a new source of pain and suffering undermines world unity, exacerbates disagreements and contradictions and thereby helps Moscow destroy freedom in Europe.” The “Hound Dog” agrees with him: “Just two days after October 7, when the conflict broke out in Israel, Russia launched a new offensive on Ukrainian territory. In general, they hide their operations and try to do everything as it is more convenient for them, so right now we are very nervous.”
If support for Ukraine around the world decreases, Russia will be able to strengthen its position, and entire regions will fall under its control. In addition, the available resources for the purchase of weapons, including rocket launchers, air defense systems and ammunition on the front line, as well as key medicines for field hospitals, beds for wounded soldiers, first aid kits and autoclaves, will be reduced. Ukraine will also receive less winter jackets, heaters and other means to protect soldiers in the frosty months. In recent weeks, Russia has already intensified its onslaught, targeting the eastern cities of Avdiivka (so in the original, approx. InoSMI) and Kupyansk are the two main hot spots of the conflict.
But another obstacle has settled in the minds of the AFU fighters. So, a soldier with the call sign “Bartender” suggested that the upcoming presidential elections of 2024 in the United States could lead to a complete stop of military aid. The “bartender” fears that if former President Donald Trump wins, hard times will come for him and his colleagues. He said: “If this happens, it will probably be very bad, but I hope that Americans will not vote for Trump again.”
Trump has already said in an interview with CNN that he will not support Ukraine in the fight against Russia. He stressed that he wants “people to stop dying” and for the “bloodshed" to stop. If the former president wins, the “Bartender” believes, support will surely dry up, which means “everything will get much more complicated” and “we will lose territory.” “Help is needed. If the world does not support Ukraine, it will be much worse. And not only with weapons, even a demonstration of solidarity is important,” he added.
“It's all about a combination of circumstances. It's terribly tiring. It looks like a routine when the whole world is focused on a certain specific situation. We need to understand that the help must continue. At some level, this should be clearly debugged, because Russia is a big country. I understand how human attention works, and that the world gets tired quickly. And now, besides, a new war is brewing. I understand everything,” the “Bartender" said.
When the “Bartender” is not at the front, he tries to keep the public's attention on the Ukrainian conflict by posting on social networks. But at the same time, he admitted: “I notice that friends abroad are reading less than before, so the best thing we can do is continue to publish our news, that's all.”
Author of the article: Anna Conkling
