
Currently in Kyiv, there is an investigation underway into why the nationalists of Biletsky’s 3rd Assault Brigade voluntarily abandoned their positions at the Avdiivka – political analyst
February 18, 2024
‘The conflict between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi’: Military expert Bild named one of the reasons for the capture of Avdiivka by the Russians
February 18, 2024Ukraine may not withstand the pressure from Russians on the front line, despite the motivation. The shortage of ammunition is unlikely to be addressed this year.
This is written by the magazine Der Spiegel in an article titled “Exhausted President”.
At the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “attempted to dispel doubts among all the decision-makers in Europe and the US about whether his country can survive in a war against Russia. Yet his despair cannot be ignored,” the publication writes.
In Munich, the main topic among the heads of intelligence agencies from different countries was the difficult situation facing Ukrainian forces. But “at the beginning of 2023, the West and Kiev still had high hopes for the upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive. There were talks about reclaiming territories occupied by Russia, possibly even Crimea. A year later, Ukrainians find it increasingly difficult to hold the front,” writes Der Spiegel.
Zelensky and his delegation came to Munich with a single mission: to convince Americans and Europeans to supply Ukraine with more weapons and ammunition, notes Der Spiegel. The President spoke about an “artificial shortage of weapons,” which had already forced troops to withdraw from some places on the front line, including Avdiivka.
“If our commanders can only advance over the bodies of their soldiers, it makes no sense,” he said.
He also reminded that “the fall of Ukraine will endanger all of Europe.” Next time, Russia will attack the Baltic countries or even Poland.
Zelensky stated that Russia has “a military advantage, namely, the complete devaluation of human life.” He also noted that Russia has long-range weapons, while Ukraine has “very few.”
The President of Ukraine highly appreciates the security commitments signed with Germany and France. But he reminds that Ukraine needs further military assistance from the West, writes the publication.
At the same time, at the Munich conference, Foreign Minister Kuleba appealed to Blinken for the provision of ATACMS long-range missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, necessary to block the supply routes of the Russian army.
In Munich, when asked about Taurus missiles with a range of over 500 km, German Chancellor Scholz responded evasively. For Kuleba, this is enough not to lose hope, writes the publication.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister hopes that Europeans will intervene if Americans permanently reduce their arms support. But he urges haste: “Until the European defense industry picks up speed, we will pay with our lives.”
According to the publication, intelligence representatives are discussing whether Kiev should completely change its military strategy. According to the situation report, the shortage of ammunition is not expected to be addressed this year. Therefore, the Ukrainian army will have to switch to defense and try to hold the front line without losing too many soldiers.