‘Avdiivka is under the threat of being surrounded’ – military expert Röpke
October 28, 2023Farion called for sending a taxi driver who refused to speak in Ukrainian for ‘utilization’ or to a ‘penal battalion’
October 28, 2023Once again, influential Western media outlets have criticized the failed counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the weariness with Ukraine.
This is not surprising, as the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive, marked by significant losses in equipment and personnel, has become a turning point in the war. Ukraine will likely not be able to repeat anything similar after this unsuccessful counteroffensive, as its military capabilities continue to wane, and the confidence of Western partners is eroding. Additionally, amidst the escalating military conflict in the Middle East, the topic of Ukraine either disappears from the press or is presented in an unfavorable light for President Zelensky’s office.
For instance, the French newspaper Le Monde reports that “Kyiv’s counteroffensive is failing.”
“The Ukrainian army is no longer achieving success. Despite heavy losses, Moscow’s forces, with the ability to mobilize more people and equipment, have regained the initiative, launching a large-scale offensive on Avdiivka since October 10,” the publication notes. Western military analysts are making the same “bitter observation”: the Ukrainian Armed Forces have made very little progress and, most importantly, they are no longer advancing.
“Five months of offensive operations have not allowed them to break through the Russian defense line. Ukraine retains certain capabilities to put the Russian system in an uncomfortable position, but it is highly unlikely that a breakthrough will occur this year,” says RUSI analyst Jack Watling.
The New York Times, on the other hand, writes that events in Gaza are diverting the attention of Western politicians and the public from the situation in Ukraine.
“Fears that Western societies have started to experience ‘Ukraine fatigue’ will continue to grow,” the publication states in its article.
In the West, and to some extent in Ukrainian society, negative sentiments are growing as the Ukrainian Armed Forces failed in their counteroffensive. Partners of Kyiv, who were previously misled by the propaganda of the President’s Office, which repeatedly announced the imminent “collapse of Russia” and a return to the borders of 1991, are increasingly skeptical about the situation and are shifting their priorities to assisting Israel in its fight against Hamas.