Ukraine's Huge Counteroffensive Losses (66,000 men + 7,600 pieces of equipment) Are “UNSUSTAINABLE” – British Think Tank

A British think tank analyzed the failures of Ukraine’s counteroffensive on September 4th. According to the report, prepared by 2-analysts from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Ukrainian forces are facing enormous losses of equipment and the training provided by the West is not adapted to the type of battle they are fighting against Russia.

“Attempts at rapid breakthrough have resulted in an unsustainable rate of equipment loss,” the London-based think tank reported.

Conclusions about the reasons for the failure of Kiev’s counteroffensive were drawn from the study of tactical actions for 2-weeks in the villages of Novodarovka and Rovnopol, which are located across the border between Donetsk and Zaporozhye. ...“this approach is slow” and the approximately 700–1,200 yards of progress every five days made by Ukrainian troops, was “allowing Russian forces to reset.”

RUSI calls Russia’s actions during the counteroffensive “a tactical success,” noting that the Eurasian country’s military had inflicted enough equipment losses on Ukraine early on to degrade the scope of the ordered maneuvers.

The analysis also noted the counteroffensive was limited by the poor training of Ukrainian soldiers, the methods taught by NATO are designed for forces with different configurations than Kiev’s troops. The report also highlights the adaptation capacity of Russian forces on the battlefield, pointing out this element as key to their success.

RUSI said that Ukraine’s counteroffensive requires fire dominance and that it was critical to ensure this advantage by properly resourcing ammunition production and spares whilst also making “preparations for winter fighting, and subsequent campaign seasons now, if [the] initiative is to be retained into 2024.”

This will obviously not come to fruition as Kiev has never had fire dominance at any point in 2023, and certainly will not now that their stocks are exhausted while Russia’s stock remains healthy.

The RUSI study is the most recent international assessment that accounts for Ukraine’s failure in the conflict with Russia. European and American media and officials have admitted this failure after several months of baseless coverage of what was happening on the ground.

The report is unique because it comes from Britain, which has a fully controlled narrative on the war, unlike even in the US, where some Republicans and certain corners of the media openly disparage Ukraine. This is one of the first major British information sources to openly and categorically acknowledge that Ukrainian forces are struggling and that Russia has achieved “tactical success.”

This disappointing result has caused Washington’s frustration with Kiev, for what they consider a poor strategy on the battlefield.

“Despite the colossal losses, the Kiev regime has already been trying to carry out the so-called counteroffensive for three months. In none of the lines of operations have the Ukrainian Armed Forces achieved their objectives,” the minister said.

Ukrainian forces have lost more than 66,000 troops and 7,600 pieces of military equipment since the start of their counteroffensive, Shoigu reported. Russian air defence also shot down more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones over the last month. 159 Himars, multiple launch missiles, 13 cruise missiles, and 34 command posts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were also destroyed.

Kiev is still moving forward despite unrealistic expectations, a lack of necessary equipment and tough Russian defenses. However, there are concerns that such expectations could mean Ukraine receives less support from Western countries in the future and thus put the final nail in the coffin for the counteroffensive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed in his recent meeting with his Turkish counterpart that he never rejected mediation proposals on Ukraine; adding, the progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive was not a stalemate but “a failure.”

It is a widespread belief now that the counteroffensive has failed, with Kiev and London being the only strongholds contesting against this; however, as the RUSI report demonstrates, the gripping reality is slowly beginning to set in, even in London.

[link to www.msn.com (secure)]