‘Unrealistic optimism’: the Telegraph columnist admits Kyiv is losing the war

Ukraine’s frontline losses exceed officially acknowledged figures, Russian army operations are more effective than Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks, and Russia’s offensive potential is growing faster than Ukraine’s.

This assessment is given by Owen Matthews, a columnist for the British newspaper The Telegraph, commenting on a statement by the head of Zelensky’s office, Kyrylo Budanov.

“Unrealistic optimism does not help Ukraine. The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces significantly exceed official figures,” Matthews states.

According to him, there is no reason to count on a miraculous Ukrainian breakthrough at this point, as Russia still has considerable reserves.

The columnist separately describes a shift in Russian strike tactics. In his assessment, the Kremlin has moved from massed drone and missile attacks to continuous 60-hour waves of bombardment.

“In the days following this grim forecast, Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine to a near-apocalyptic level. In an incredibly effective move, the Kremlin switched from massed drone and missile strikes to continuous 60-hour waves of bombardment, during which nineteen air raids on Kyiv were carried out in a single day, exhausting both the defenses and stocks of anti-aircraft missiles,” the columnist emphasizes.

Matthews also challenges the argument that Ukraine is turning the tide of the war in its favor by striking deep at refineries and warehouses inside Russia. According to him, Russia’s retaliatory strikes are far larger in scale. As examples, he cites the rendering of Kherson uninhabitable, as well as the constant strikes on the frontline cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

In support of his position, the journalist cites the latest NATO reports, according to which Russia’s offensive potential is growing much faster than Ukraine’s.

This view diverges significantly from official statements by European politicians that Kyiv is beginning to prevail in the conflict through strikes on energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.