08 February 2024, Thursday, 16:51 392

Ukrainian front may crumble, as it happened in Kharkiv Region with russians - WP

Editor: Daria Zubkova

Читати українською

Share:
Copied

The Ukrainian military is facing a critical shortage of infantry, leading to exhaustion and low morale on the front lines. According to one of the battalion commanders, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the front may crumble like the defeats of the russians in the Kharkiv Region in 2022.

This is reported by The Washington Post with reference to Ukrainian fighters from the front line.

On the battlefield, there is a new dangerous dynamic across the front line. In an interview with The Washington Post, more than a dozen soldiers and commanders told The Washington Post that the shortage of personnel is now critical, russia has regained the offensive initiative on the battlefield and is increasing its attacks.

"One battalion commander of a mechanized brigade fighting in eastern Ukraine said his unit currently has fewer than 40 infantrymen - soldiers deployed in front-line trenches holding back russian assaults. A fully staffed battalion would have more than 200 men, the commander said. Another commander of the infantry battalion of another brigade said that his unit was just as exhausted," the article says.

The battalion commander, Oleksandr, said that the companies in his unit are on average staffed at about 35% of what they should be. The commander of the second battalion of the assault brigade said that this is typical for units that perform combat missions.

"There is no positive forecast. Absolutely none. It will end with a large number of deaths, a global failure. And, most likely, I think the front will collapse somewhere, as it happened with the enemy in 2022, in the Kharkiv Region. The basis of everything is a lack of people," Oleksandr told the publication.

The soldiers interviewed spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly and could face backlash for their comments, WP writes.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on January 23, CNN reported that there is an increasing shortage of ammunition in Ukraine.

On January 15, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine would "fight back with shovels" if it ran out of weapons.

On January 11, Ukraine and Estonia agreed on cooperation in the production of electronic warfare equipment.