Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday congratulated the country’s military forces on taking control of the entire Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. “Military units must continue their mission in accordance with previously approved plans,” Putin said. The state-controlled Russian media followed up with massive coverage. They called it “an important victory.” The president has previously said that the main goal of the war right now is to take control of the entire Donbas. The area consisting of the counties or regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. CONTINUES: President Vladimir Putin says Russian military forces will advance in Ukraine. Here during a meeting with the Russian Minister of Defense yesterday. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / AP Ukrainian authorities now expect that the Russian forces will launch a comprehensive offensive to take over this entire area. At present, the Russians control just over half of this region. On the Ukrainian side, it is also said that the withdrawal from the last city in Luhansk is not decisive for the course of the war. – We will win back these lands, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj according to the news agency Reuters. INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR AND AEI’S CRITICAL THREATS PROJECT / news (Updated 05.07.2022) How important will new western weapons be? Ukrainian authorities have long called on Western countries for more powerful and modern weapons. They say it is absolutely necessary in the fight against the Russian forces. There are also reports from the Ukrainian side that they are running out of older types of weapons and ammunition from the Soviet era. WESTERN WEAPONS: Ukrainian soldiers fire with a French cannon. Photo: ARIS MESSINIS / AFP Only now have Western cannons and missile systems begun to enter Ukraine. These weapons have a greater range and are more precise than the weapons that the Ukrainians already have. In order to use them, Ukrainian soldiers must complete training. It can take both weeks and months. It is also an open question whether there will be enough of these advanced Western weapons. And if they come in time to stop the Russians’ military progress. War of attrition In the fighting in recent weeks, Russian forces have used huge amounts of grenades and rockets in the attacks on Ukrainian units in the Donbas. Military experts say it is a huge strain to be under such a bombardment over time. PROGRESSING: Russia has deployed powerful weapons in the war in eastern Ukraine. Photo: Alexei Alexandrov / AP The Ukrainians have their best and most experienced forces in the Donbas. It will not be easy to replace these, writes CNN in an analysis of the development. Officially, Ukrainian authorities say they are losing up to 200 soldiers every day in this war. According to the Russian military blogger Yuri Kotjonok, the strain on the Russian forces is also very great. He believes that there is a great shortage of soldiers along the almost 1000 kilometer long front in the Donbas. This is one of the reasons why the advance has been slow. He believes 500,000 Russian soldiers are needed. To get so many soldiers, Russia must mobilize militarily. The Russian leaders know that it will be unpopular and that it will hit the middle class in the big cities. Therefore, it has not been done. Disagree Experts Some Western experts believe that Russia does not have enough troops and weapons to continue this warfare over time. Two US researchers tell the Washington Post that Ukrainian forces do not appear to be collapsing. They think they will probably be able to fight back in a few months. Two others write in Foreign Policy that it is unrealistic to believe that Ukraine will be able to win this war. They believe that the United States and other Western countries should demand that the Ukrainian authorities do what they can to conclude a peace agreement with Russia. The darkest field shows the area that the Russian-backed rebels took control of in 2014. Now they, together with the Russian army, have taken over the entire county of Luhansk. It is expected that Russia will deploy large forces to take control of the rest of Donetsk region as well. Other experts point out that it is difficult to say how the war will continue. Because both sides keep a lot of secrets. This applies to both real casualty figures and the condition of the forces after four months of war. How much of Ukraine will Russia try to take? In Donetsk and Luhansk, Russian forces have spent a surprisingly long time taking up relatively small areas. And ever since 2014, Russian-backed rebels have been in control of large parts of these two regions. VIOLENT DESTRUCTIONS: Rescue crews search a house bombed in the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP On state Russian television, this is explained by the fact that the Ukrainian forces have spent many years building defensive lines with solid trenches and bunkers in concrete. But all indications are that the Ukrainian soldiers are motivated to fight hard, even though they are numerically inferior and have fewer weapons and ammunition. President Putin has thus ordered his forces to continue the advance. But he says nothing about how far into Ukraine they will go. When he started the invasion, it was clear that the goal was to take the capital Kyiv and probably the rest of the country. It is not said directly, but on the state TV channels it may seem as if it is still the idea.
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Urix explains about developments in the war in Ukraine – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
