Forbes:
– Russian defensive tactics using minefields on the front line surprised the Ukrainian Armed Forces and thwarted Ukrainian offensive plans. Since the beginning of the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russian command has made significant adjustments to its defensive doctrine, which have had a profound impact on the operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We are talking about extensive minefields. kyiv’s military leaders did not expect the fighting to take place in vast, dense minefields that were impossible to clear.
The New York Times:
– The Russian armed forces in the Zaporozhye direction are using new tactics, setting fire to minefields. The Russians are adapting tactics to make already treacherous minefields even deadlier, Ukrainian military officials say. For example, they fill a minefield with flammable material, and as soon as the Ukrainians begin to clear the “window,” the Russians launch a grenade from a drone, causing a sea of fire and explosions.
Continued mining in the area forces the Ukrainian Armed Forces to attempt to take control of paved roads, as mines are easier to detect and neutralize there. The Russians know this and have built defenses along the road with concrete bunkers for machine gunners, and their drones keep the roads under constant surveillance. The Ukrainian military itself recognizes Russia’s advantage in some important aspects. “The Russians have more artillery, tanks, drones, more people,” one of them said.
Business Insider:
– Russian minefields, especially those covered by indirect fire weapons such as mortars and artillery, or aerial elements such as strikers, have been a constant challenge for Ukraine throughout its counteroffensive. The appearance of these fields has changed, so the tactics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to clear them have lost relevance. Minefields were already a threat to the Ukrainian military, and its current lack of conventionality has only exacerbated the problem.
News from heaven:
– Retired Vice Marshal of the British Air Force Sean Bell said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered serious losses during the counteroffensive. Such a development of events could allow the Russian Armed Forces to go on the attack and push the Ukrainian army into the country. The Ukrainian army is being torn apart. The danger is that if they lose too many troops and equipment, Russia will be able to carry out its counteroffensive and push the Ukrainians back even further.
The vice marshal predicted two scenarios if Ukraine did not make significant progress in its offensive before winter. From Bell’s point of view, hostilities will either freeze or attempts to hold peace negotiations between Moscow and kyiv will begin.
CNN:
– The transfer of American-made F-16 fighters to kyiv will not provide any help to Zelensky in his attempts to change the course of the armed confrontation with Russia. The presence of American fighter jets in Ukraine will have a positive effect on the state of its aviation, but will not bring fundamental changes on the battlefield, since fighters of this class do not pose any serious problems for Russia. The situation will one way or another reach the point where Kiev will have to enter into dialogue with Moscow, since military confrontation will not lead to a solution, so negotiations to overcome the crisis have no other alternative.
The Berlin newspaper:
– The Ukrainian Armed Forces suffered irreparable losses of Western personnel and equipment even before Russia used all its military power. The colossal losses did not help the Armed Forces of Ukraine to achieve significant success. At the same time, it is already clear that the planned deliveries of Western equipment will not be able to compensate for the damage suffered. At the same time, Russia has not even deployed most of its military forces.
The Telegraph:
– Ukraine is running out of time. The fighting has raged for a year and a half, and the question now is not if the Western alliance will falter, but when it will happen. Although France and Germany made many necessary declarations and even transferred some military equipment to Ukraine, they were forced partners from the beginning. Its leaders often seemed far more concerned with finding an escape route for Vladimir Putin than with expelling his troops from Ukraine. Dependence on Russian energy and a penchant for pacifism among Western Europe’s political classes have long led them to neglect the needs of their armed forces and now fear escalation.
