Fighting on the battlefield has also delayed the counteroffensive, according to the Ukrainian president. This gave the Russians time to “dig in” for the Ukrainian offensive.
“Ukrainians now have to go overland, because they have no air superiority”
Defense specialist Patrick Bolder of the Center for Strategic Studies in The Hague understands Zelenski’s statements. He refers to the great reconquests Ukraine made in the fall of 2022. “Since then, the Russians have had time to set up all kinds of defensive positions, which has also been their main tactic ever since.”
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Along a front more than 1,000 kilometers long, Russia has been able to ‘build trenches, anti-tank ditches and minefields,’ says Bolder. And the supply of Western weapons went on and on. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians had to be trained.” However, the defense specialist does not dare to say that it is the West’s fault. “It’s complicated, because training and supplying weapons takes time. But it is a fact that the Russians had six months to prepare ever better for the Ukrainian counter-offensive’.
F-16
Once again Zelensky also called on the West to supply F16s for the war against Russia. Zelensky wants him to be able to provide air support to soldiers who are fighting the Russians on the ground. “The Ukrainians now have to go overland because they don’t have air superiority. However, on land it is very complicated. They do it very carefully to avoid many Ukrainian deaths.’
Earlier, Zelensky indicated that the offensive was progressing more slowly than he wished, although he said progress was being made “in all directions”. Elsewhere within the top Ukrainian military, Bolder also sees progress being made in the area of eliminating Russian equipment. “We have to wait and see how true that is, but I see papers from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense saying 20 to 30 Russian artillery installations are being destroyed a day.”