With the explosion of the Ukrainian Kakhovka dam, the next stage of the war in Ukraine began. This says former army commander Mart de Kruif, who sees the number of battles on the front increasing. BNR lists all the news about Ukraine this week for you, so that you are fully informed.
He points out that the destroyed dam doesn’t make things easier for Ukraine, but that they thought it was something. “I think they have included that scenario in the plans,” said De Kruif, who has seen the number of battles at the front increase dramatically. Both Ukrainian attacks and Russian countermeasures. “This increased activity is a sign that we have entered the next stage,” said the retired general and former army commander. He expects we will see in the coming days where he will be the main target of the offensive.’
However, there is still a lot of fighting in Bachmoet again, in favor of the Ukrainians. Since the departure of the troops of the Wagner Group from Bachmut, the Ukrainian army has retaken the city meter by meter, making the most of the changing of the guard. Brigadier General and Professor Han Bouwmeester of the Dutch Defense Academy thinks so. According to Bouwmeester, the Wagner Group is battle-weary and longs for payback. It also appears to be arriving in the form of another Russian mercenary army, but the relief makes the situation vulnerable, he thinks. “Such redemptions are often chaotic, especially when it comes to loose clubs handing things over to each other,” says Bouwmeester. “That means there could be fault lines in the Russian front line.”
Fighting is also escalating in the regions around Donetsk and Zaporizhia, but Ukraine has not yet confirmed that the long-awaited offensive has begun. Russia claims it repulsed a “major offensive” in the Donetsk region and killed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers, but the claims cannot be independently verified. The Russians also claim to have destroyed 16 Ukrainian tanks. According to war studies professor Frans Osinga of Leiden University, if true, this is significant. “On the other hand, Ukraine probably has hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles ready.” If the message is correct, as far as Osinga is concerned, this does not necessarily indicate that this is the counteroffensive, “because it will be on a larger scale.”
This is not the only ambiguity currently reigning over the war in Ukraine. The background of the explosion of the aforementioned Kakhovka dam is also still unknown. A few days after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and the release of a huge body of water, it is still unclear what exactly happened. However, the consequence is clear. Dozens of villages and towns have been flooded, and even the big city of Kherson has to contend with water.
Where the focus is on the war between Ukraine and Russia, the risk of war between China and the United States should not be underestimated. This possibility is quite high. This is what strategy analyst Paul van Hooft of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies (HCSS) says in the BNR podcast De Strateeg. Political scientist Friso Dubbelboer of the Leiden Asia Center also sees tensions rising. “This is very serious.”
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
