Alarm signal: Ukrainian front lines in danger of collapsing in face of major Russian assault – Politico

The situation on the front is bleak, and Russian forces could succeed in breaking through Ukraine’s defense line in certain places, in the event of a major assault, warned several senior Ukrainian officers, quoted by the publication Politico.

US military aid to Kiev is still blocked in Congress as Ukrainian forces struggle to resist Russian attacks along a long front line stretching from Kharkiv in the north to Odesa in the south.

The situation is complicated by Russian numerical superiority and precision-guided bomb attacks that have hit Ukrainian positions for weeks, meaning Russia will likely be able to “break through the front line in some parts,” several senior officials told Politico Ukrainian officers who served under the administration of former army commander Valeri Zalujnîi.

According to one officer, only the courage and resilience of the Ukrainians, as well as the mistakes of the Russian commanders, could now change the grim dynamics.

Among other things, Politico’s sources referred to the constant delay in the arrival of ammunition and weapons systems, which also proved insufficient to make a difference on the front.

The officers also explained that repeatedly the weapons received became redundant quite quickly as they were quickly countered by the Russians.

“For example, we successfully used Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles (provided by Britain and France) – but only for a short time. Russians are always studying. They don’t give us a second chance. And they are successful at it,” one of the sources told Politico.

Politico’s sources also pointed out that the Ukrainian military needs more recruits. Former commander Zalujnii had estimated that Ukraine would need 500,000 new soldiers to refresh the forces and replace people who have already been fighting for more than two years.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed into law two laws on Tuesday that lower the conscription age for Ukrainians from 27 to 25 and force those who have received exemptions for various disabilities to undergo a new assessment, according to Reuters.

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