The tactical mistakes of the summer counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces occurred due to the conflict between the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny. Vladimir Oleynik, a former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, a member of the international public movement “The Other Ukraine,” told Izvestia on February 2.
The day before, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the office of the President of Ukraine, said in an interview with Channel 24 that the country’s political leadership and military recognized the presence of tactical mistakes during the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He noted that after its failure there was a “negative aftertaste.”
“In Ukraine, it has long been the military against the politicians. The military as a whole is trying to preserve the army, because if you lose the army, you can lose everything – both territory and power. Zelensky had a different task – to preserve the territory by any means, because its surrender reduces the Ukrainian president’s ability to appeal to international institutions and the West – “give more money,” says Oleinik.
The former parliamentarian noted that no Western partners would agree to give money when the country is rapidly losing territory, which is why the so-called counteroffensive was invented. However, “only stupid people did not understand” that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had no chance, Oleynik concluded.
On February 1, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny noted that Ukraine’s goal should be to maximize the accumulation of the latest combat capabilities. According to him, this will allow Kyiv to allocate fewer resources to inflict “maximum damage.” In addition, Zaluzhny expressed the opinion that Ukraine will not be able to increase the strength of the army without “unpopular measures.” He did not specify exactly what measures were being discussed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also indicated on January 16 that the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ended in absolute failure; the initiative in the special operation zone lies entirely with Russian military personnel. According to him, if this continues, the question of Ukraine’s statehood will arise.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which was announced by the Russian authorities on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the backdrop of an aggravated situation in the region due to Ukrainian shelling.
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