Western allies receive increasingly ‘sobering’ updates on Ukraine’s counteroffensive: ‘This is the most difficult time of the war’
Weeks into Ukraine’s highly anticipated counteroffensive, Western officials describe increasingly “sobering” assessments about Ukrainian forces’ ability to retake significant territory, four senior US and western officials briefed on the latest intelligence told CNN.
“They’re still going to see, for the next couple of weeks, if there is a chance of making some progress. But for them to really make progress that would change the balance of this conflict, I think, it’s extremely, highly unlikely,” a senior western diplomat told CNN.
“Our briefings are sobering. We’re reminded of the challenges they face,” said Rep. Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat who recently returned from meetings in Europe with US commanders training Ukrainian armored forces. “This is the most difficult time of the war.”
The primary challenge for Ukrainian forces is the continued difficulty of breaking through Russia’s multi-layered defensive lines in the eastern and southern parts of the country, which are marked by tens of thousands of mines and vast networks of trenches. Ukrainian forces have incurred staggering losses there, leading Ukrainian commanders to hold back some units to regroup and reduce casualties.
“Russians have a number of defensive lines and they [Ukrainian forces] haven’t really gone through the first line,” said a senior Western diplomat. “Even if they would keep on fighting for the next several weeks, if they haven’t been able to make more breakthroughs throughout these last seven, eight weeks, what is the likelihood that they will suddenly, with more depleted forces, make them? Because the conditions are so hard.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/08/politics/ukraine-counteroffensive-us-briefings/index.html
The thing about war, real war, is that it involves actual, dirty, bloody, sweaty, close combat between individual fighters on a grand scale. These fighters must be led well, and their force of arms applied with skill against an adaptable foe. But ultimately it comes down to will-to-win, individual strength (physical, spiritual, mental), individual close combat skills. Any armchair warrior out there willing to put their body where their mouth is and go fight Russians face to face?
In our antiseptic armchair warrior world, we think “technology” can win a war for us. Push a button and vaporize your foe … go back to your bag of chips. So many of us support war on those terms – someone else fighting in some anonymous field of battle, pushing buttons, vaporizing foes, “defend Democracy” … what’s not to like?
Until you come across an actual opponent that has a warrior culture, a wider culture they value, skills, discipline, strength – then our push-button warriors hit a brick wall. “Don’t those Russians know their role is to lose? Who do they think they are, forming alliances with China, India, Africa, South America? We’ve poured a Trillion $ into their defeat … why won’t they just … die?!”
I have never heard a reason, much less a valid reason, why it is in American interests to support Ukraine in a proxy fight against Russia. Armchair warriors put down their beer long enough to call on other’s kids to go fight this fight, shed their blood and tax the next four generations of their great, great grandkids to supply cannon fodder for the Russians to blow up on the field of battle.
If you’re serious about fighting a war, first you have to know what war actually means: it is dirty, ugly, bloody, costly, deadly and most of all … uncertain. There is no guarantee there will be victory at the end. America has not tasted total defeat in her long history, but Impredict there is one coming in our future because a nation of unserious people, led by corrupt unserious leaders is playing with fire. For no discernible reason.
Yes.^
About 300,000 Ukrainian soldiers are dead. Around 1/4 of that number for Russian soldiers. This has been a World War 1 -era bloodbath. All for nothing.
Do not think this war will end though. Ukraine apparently holds big, ugly US secrets. Combine that with the fact that US pride will not allow Russia to claim victory, look for a nuclear detonation in Ukraine, Poland or even the US. ANd it will be blamed on Russia.
Speaking of… Here is the story of one Catholic female marine who puts all the men to shame.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/marine-speaks-out-after-being-denied-religious-exemption-from-covid-mandate-and-imprisoned/
So what will the new crisis/cause be that we’re all supposed to bow down in front of the TV and computer and pledge allegiance? I think it’ll be the climate. Throw out those stupid blue and yellow flags boys and girls, it’s time to put the Pacamammy on display in the front yard.
“Someone will come into power who will make all the chaos seem to disappear. You should question anyone who has that power.
Tyranny has no political party, and there is no human Savior.
Be wary.
Even Satan can appear as a being of light.”
Hat tip, Rae from Catholic Twitter
Sorry, I just don’t trust any of this. In an age in which handheld high-definition cameras are ubiquitous, the amount of actual, no-BS-detected war footage I’ve seen is pretty close to zilch. I’ve seen more compelling video from the Falklands on Action News when I was 11 years old. A lot more.
But we do have Snake Island, Ghosts of Kiev, an elderly Ukrainian man shooting down Russian MiGs from his rocking chair with a muzzle loader, a coked-out high-heels wearing TV president who’s burying US dollars in Samsonites as fast as he can across his dozen properties, Sean Penn, U2 concerts, and on and on.
Am I supposed to trust Putin because he’s cast himself as the savior of Christendom in this stage play? Or do I trust the hot dog vendor-turned-caterer-turned warlord-turned almost coup leader who Putin can’t quite control? Speaking of Wagner (“Make sure we put “Hitler’s favorite composer” in all of the press releases”), is there any video of more than a dozen of them in the same place at the same time?
Latest report is that Biden is preparing to send them another $10,000,000,000USD. And another truckload of Samsonites.
https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/1688920344734867457?s=20
This is the grift that never ends. It really is the fakest, gayest war we’ve ever witnessed. And I can’t shake the feeling that all sides are in on it.
CJ,
US has given Ukraine $115 Billion to Ukraine’s “war” effort.
Russia’s 2022 military budget was ~ $50 Billion.
Russia doubled their military spending in 2023 to $100 Billion.
IOW – we have given Ukraine more money than Russia’s *doubled* military budget.
What happened to all our weapons and munitions? No one knows.
What happened to all the money? No one knows. No one wants to know.
This is insane. And we are doing it because effectively no one in public life is willing to demand we stop. *Everyone* wants “war”. I agree that what is happening in Ukraine doesn’t fit the traditional definition of war, but something is happening there and Russia is, in fact, gaining the territory they wanted, has already taken it – even though we may not personally see it, because we are victims of PsyOp misinformation and truth blackouts.
It is a fact we are bleeding ourselves dry by emptying our arsenal and treasury … who knows where it all is now … and the debauched fools running our government are keenly intent on lighting a war match … and not just in Ukraine.
A lot of money for the war is getting pocketed, both by NATO members and the Russian side. Putin has been criticized for letting things drag on. Russia was part of the covid scam and is fully on board with technocracy. Sanctions are helping them move to new digital money.
The war will likely be useful for the purpose of bankruptcy and controlled demolition of food supply, technology, money payment systems, energy disruption, skyrocketing costs, and restricting information access.It is intended to drag on to finish what lockdowns started.
Look for more assymetrical warfare as other nations like Syria, Ukraine and Niger serve as proxies for the US vs. Russia match. Once these are exhausted, only then will the homelands be directly targeted.
Johnno, Yes. I actually think it is likely that much of our arsenal is ending up in the Russian military, and other enemies around the globe.