Ukraine's military chief: Significant Russian advantages in forces and resources | DW News

Ukraine's top General says his forces have suffered several setbacks on the battlefield and Russian troops are advancing in the Eastern Donetsk region in posts made on social media on Sunday the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces Alexander CI said the situation on the front has worsened the enemy has concentrated its main efforts on several areas creating a significant advantage in forces and resources the enemy is actively attacking along the entire front line and making tactical gains in some areas our regular military analyst Frank lewi is just back from Ukraine is this a reality check and if so just how bad is it good evening Ben I'm not sure if reality check is the right term this has been these steady gains have been happening now over the last two months or so since the fall of a diva and to a lesser extent for the last few months but undoubted ly the momentum of the Russians has sort of stepped up I think over the last month or so particularly west of aiva and in the north towards chivar a name we're going to hear a lot more often so yes it's not critical we mustn't believe that this is some sort of decisive moment it isn't but General cki is simply accepting the way things are and that's that that's that's exactly what he should do at this moment Frank can I just point out last time a commander-in chief spoke out like this and was so Frank he was fired was the wrong message sent to the West in the past did donors think Ukraine was doing better than it really was yes I think there's there's some truth to that and Western officials I've spoken to have presented a picture which is frankly incredible now whether they got that picture from the ukrainians or their own or their own information I don't know but of course the as as you said uh reality is beginning to set in it has done over the the last month or so and you mentioned the dismissal of General zi who who made comments quite similar to General CIS as you point out a few months ago just before he got fired in in late February early March it's worth saying that General zal has essentially been well he hasn't yet taken up his appointment but he was appointed I would say perhaps into Exile as it were as a UK Ambassador I don't think he's left yet but there is now I think it's fair to say or there remains a rift within the Ukrainian Army and indeed political Nation to how to approach what's going on in the battlefield I is that what's getting in the way here primarily or a politics also uh holding back Ukraine's military successes no I don't think so there the realities on the battlefield which have been again developing over the last few months first of all at the Strategic level the Russians learn you know that history shows whether it's a war against the fins the the the Germans um in Afghanistan in Chia they learn like every other military body does poor generals have been dismissed and of course have been tactical they've learned tactics on the battlefield which have proved and are continuing to prove effective and that applies also to to Ukraine so no it's not that the Rifts at the higher end are are causing these troubles far from it uh the they're also on the battlefield what we're also seeing is the lack of air defenses Ukrainian uh supplies of air defense missiles and systems has essentially fallen off a cliff as one ex-minister put it to me over the last few months and the result has been that the Russian Aviation as they call it has been deploying hundreds indeed thousands of bombs onto as you see there onto Ukrainian lines and can now in fact uh can now in fact conduct close air support against Ukrainian positions that there is also considerable evidence that the Russians are taking advantage of the ability to uh control or at least to hold some element of controlling Ukrainian airspace to uh to improve their reconnaissance capabilities so the these are tactical issues the Russians are learning ukrainians are learning too of course and the result is that the ukrainians are having to step by step whilst maintaining cohesion withdraw and Retreat from untenable positions and is this now more about Manpower or ammunition the new mobilization efforts for example come uh a couple years into this war now yeah that's absolutely Central this is a war of attrition and therefore the center of Gravity the operational level is Manpower the Russians have that Manpower they mobilized of course quite early on in the War mid mid 2022 and have augmented that by paying their soldiers extremely well uh by uh it's about four or five times the national salary so they don't have problems with recruitment they recruit I think it's commonly accepted between 20 and 30,000 people a month that's not the case with the ukrainians they dithered for several months over their mobilization it's questionable whether they'll be able to carry it out the scale required my own view is they should also begin to focus rather than on high-end kit like attacks and what have you but on equipping their soldiers at the front rather better than they do now particularly with armored mobility and body arm and what have you but there we have it uh no this is um this is a very serious matter for the ukrainians let's hope they start now to begin to to mobilize those who haven't yet been mobilized those who are due to be and perhaps indeed use some of the finances they've got to improve the offer to Ukrainian soldiers not just on the line but those of course who've come off the line who have been injured wounded all of that helps with recruitment it's the cental gravity in this war it's a war of attrition the ukrainians need to need to to mobilize on a scale similar to that of the Russians great to get your take as always military analyst Frank leage thank you good to see you again thank you Ben

Channel: DW News

Views: 445,674

Keywords: DW News, russia, ukraine, war in ukraine, donetsk, attacks, frontline, military, advantages

Id: yZFASabDMjo

Length: 5min 58sec (358 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 28 2024