Ukraine makes demands to the West to counterattack "very difficult" Ukraine | military | demands
According to a report on the website of the Spanish newspaper "Daily News" on June 17th, a full week has passed since the Ukrainian army launched a counterattack. The army has made limited progress at several points on the front line, but has also encountered some setbacks, such as the destruction of more than a dozen Western armored vehicles and tanks that Ukraine recently received. Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, Hannah Maria, admitted this week that "moving forward is very difficult.".
According to reports, unlike Kiev's astonishing speed in reclaiming large territories in the second half of last year, Ukraine is now facing much more difficult tasks after the Russian military has established over 1000 kilometers of defense lines and fortifications in the occupied areas over the past six months.
"Ukrainians are trying to destroy command posts, troop supply logistics centers, and ammunition depots to weaken Russia's military capabilities," said Anthony King, a war research expert at Warwick University. "If they cannot succeed, it will be difficult to break through the Russian military's defenses."
According to reports, the counterattack is currently advancing on three axes, two in Donetsk and one in Zaporizhzhia. The first axis points south from Vilikanovosilka towards Mariupol. On this axis, the military in Kiev has made significant progress.
▲ Information image: "Leopard" -2 tank
The second axis is concentrated around Olekhov and has entered the territory of Zaporizhzhia. It seems to be one of the most difficult advance routes, like other parts of the front line, where the Ukrainian army needs to pass through dense minefields, anti tank trenches, and obstacles. That is what experts call the largest defense system since World War II. It was on this route that more than a dozen German made Panther tanks and the Bradley infantry tanks provided by the United States were hit in anti tank trenches.
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The third axis revolves around Bachmut in the northwest of Donetsk. This town was occupied by the Russian army in May, and although Ukrainians have advanced several kilometers in the area, they are likely not trying to recapture the entire Bahmut, but only seeking to contain the massive Russian troops guarding the area.
According to the website of Al Jazeera Television in Qatar, due to the slow progress of the recent counterattack in the east and south, Ukraine has requested the West to provide it with long-range weapons to "achieve victory" on June 17th.
According to reports, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Gavrilov stated that the Ukrainian military needs high-precision weapons with a range of 200 kilometers to achieve victory over the Russian military.
In a statement issued by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Gavrilov added that as he stated, Ukraine is seeking to obtain weapons and equipment primarily used to defend the country from Russian missile attacks, such as aircraft.
At the time of Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense's statement, the United States and other Western allies have pledged to provide Ukraine with more weapons, including air defense systems.