Ukraine wants to recapture lost areas in the south of the country with a counter-offensive. An ex-Bundeswehr general thinks this is absolutely necessary and is pushing for more arms deliveries.
Munich – The troops of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin occupied the Cherson region in the south of the country very early on in the Ukraine conflict. Apparently, Russia aims to annex the territory along the lines of Crimea. However, after the painful events of 2014, Ukraine does not want to lose any more territory to Russia.
With a counter-offensive, these areas are now to be recaptured. This doesn’t seem easy though. However, according to the military expert and Brigadier General a. D. of the Bundeswehr, Klaus Wittmann, offensive actions by the Ukrainian side are now “inevitable”. According to him, the West can help with further arms deliveries.
Ukraine war: Ex-Brigadier General Wittmann warns of “territory transfers” to Putin’s Russia
In an opinion piece in the World-Zeitung, the former brigadier general initially warned against the suggestion that Ukraine should accept “territorial cessions”. After all, this is about regions, towns and villages where “murder, rape, torture” and much more would prevail under Russian occupation. After all, this was observed “with horror” in parts of Ukraine that had already been conquered by Russia, according to Wittmann.
“Of course, the Ukrainian leadership cannot accept the loss of 20 percent of the country’s territory,” emphasized the expert in his contribution. The result: “recovery, if necessary reconquest, of crucially important areas” is now the “prerequisite for any peace agreement”.
Wittmann also mentioned which goals the Ukrainian leadership should primarily have in mind. So you have to recapture the “land bridge to the Crimea” with the port city of Mariupol, but also the city of Cherson from Russian troops. The former Bundeswehr brigadier general emphasized that “the establishment of further ‘people’s republics’ is already being tried there by Russification of administration, money and passport systems”.
War in Ukraine: Wittmann criticizes traffic light coalition for hesitant arms deliveries
According to Wittmann, offensive operations by the Ukrainian armed forces in the Ukraine war are “inevitable”. In order for them to have any prospects, however, the firepower of the Ukrainian military must be increased. The military expert and ex-brigadier general sees responsibility for this in western countries, including Germany. It is important “to support Ukraine with effective air defense systems, artillery and multiple rocket launchers”. Wittmann mentioned the military successes of the Ukrainian army with the US-made Himars rocket launchers.
In this context, the ex-brigadier general also criticized the attitude of the traffic light coalition with regard to arms deliveries in the Ukraine conflict. In addition to artillery, “counter-attack operations” also require “armoured vehicles that offer protection and shoot effectively”. Wittmann referred to 200 “Fuchs” armored personnel carriers, the delivery of which was rejected by the federal government, as well as 100 “Leopard” battle tanks and “Marder” armored personnel carriers, which German industry had been offering for several weeks. “These around 400 combat vehicles alone would make a big difference,” says the military expert.
But the federal government does not want to deliver. At this point, Wittmann appealed to the traffic light: “The coalition must realize how much time was wasted by reservations, delays and hiding behind others.” The success of the Ukrainian counter-offensive depends on external military support, emphasized the former brigadier general – “not least through Germany”. (bb)
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