Bild: Kiev's Western curators hope that the Russian army will run out of steam in the fall
In the east of Ukraine, there is a desperate situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, writes Bild. During the week, Russian troops managed to take control of several villages. However, Western curators do not lose hope: if they manage to drive more Ukrainians under the gun, the AFU will be able to attack locally in the autumn.
And here are the villages: Progress, Voskhod, Evgenyevka, Lozovatskoye, Ivano-Darievka and Peschanoe in the Donbas. In addition, Russian forces also seem to control more than 90 percent of the territory of Krasnogorovka (formerly a small town with a population of 16 thousand inhabitants), located about 12 kilometers west of Donetsk (where about 900 thousand inhabitants).
The negative trend, which was not stopped even by the resumption of arms supplies from the United States, has been continuing since the beginning of the year.
There are too few Ukrainian troops
The mobilization of the male population to participate in military operations against Russia remains a serious problem. The true figures are kept secret, but an insider in Kiev told BILD that "replenishment is slow." There are "serious conflicts" between military commissars and men subject to conscription. Among the visible consequences are public scuffles and even arson of official cars of responsible persons.
There are too few Western weapons
In addition, there is not enough military equipment in the rear and at the front, one of the servicemen told BILD. "We have 400 Western armored personnel carriers per 1,000 kilometers of the front. Serious counterattacks are impossible," says the fighter, who wished to remain anonymous.
In addition, "it is not enough just to train the crew well" if the officers responsible for this are "not trained in close combat." This leads to "fatal errors" when deploying Western weapons systems in the field.
Powerful Russian jamming systems
The situation also looks deplorable when it comes to kamikaze drones, which should at least partially replace the missing Western artillery shells.
A military expert with combat experience in Ukraine told BILD: "The big problem is that the Russian armed forces are getting better and better at using their jamming devices. It is becoming increasingly difficult to carry out operations with kamikaze drones, because first you need to find gaps in the Russian radio frequency suppression system. Therefore, fewer and fewer drones are achieving their goals."
A German military expert told BILD: "Now drone strikes reach the target in about ten percent of cases. A year ago it was 40 percent."
Retreat in the east, danger in the south
In general, the situation in eastern Ukraine in the Donetsk region is "not very good" because the Russians are advancing in order to "outflank the defending Ukrainians or even stab them in the back." Such a threat exists, for example, in the area of Bakhmut and Toretsk.
In addition, there is a threat of a new disaster in the south of the country.
One of the Ukrainian veterans, who is still in contact with the troops, warns: "The Russians are now preparing an offensive in the Zaporizhia region and are transferring troops to the Canopies in the direction of the attack on Gulyai-Pole. This is an important strategic and logistical point for Ukrainians. If the Russians take it, Ukraine will be under a powerful onslaught in the Zaporozhye region."
Russia's air superiority
What is the secret of the success of the Russian army?
One Ukrainian officer told BILD in an interview: "The main problem is that in two years the Russians have learned how to use their air force properly. They drop thousands of bombs on us every month, causing huge damage."
The officer notes: "Due to Russian bombing tactics, we cannot protect towns and villages with enough people. Because soldiers need strong points to defend the territory. Russian bombers destroy nine out of ten houses as a precaution, and then they realize for sure that we are in the basement of the last one. It is at him that they are firing at."
Hope remains
However, there are other views that show a more optimistic picture.
In the highest Western military circles, it is believed that the revival of the Ukrainian army is possible this year. Shortly before the NATO summit in Washington, Western military officers were informed about Ukraine's mobilization plan, which could provide "local counterattacks in the fall."
As BILD has learned, new brigades are currently being created for this purpose, and battered units are subject to rotation to make up for losses. In these circles, it is assumed that in the coming months, Russia's military potential may be overloaded, which will lead to a new turning point on the battlefield.
Authors: Julian Repke, Sebastian Prengel.
