Ukraine has just 45 days to turn the tide in its counteroffensive against Russia before the onset of autumn and winter weather, observers warn
Ukraine has just 45 days to turn the tide in its counter-offensive against Russia before the fall and winter weather sets in, observers warn
- US General Mark Milley said it would be “difficult to manoeuvre” in the rain
Ukraine has just 45 days to make significant gains in its counter-offensive against Russian forces before the autumn and winter weather sets in, Western observers said yesterday.
Gen. Mark Milley, the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it would be “very difficult to maneuver” in the region’s autumn rains.
Early in the summer, Kiev began attacking Russian defense lines, intending to reach the Sea of Azov to split Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory in two.
The gains were small to begin with – in areas where the Russians had been laying mines for a year – but a week ago Ukrainian generals reported that they had broken the front lines.
General Milley said, “It has been slower than planners expected. But that’s a difference between… war on paper and real war. So these are real people in real vehicles fighting through real minefields, and there’s real death and destruction, and there’s real friction. And there’s still a fair amount of time – probably about 30 to 45 days of combat weather.”
General Mark Milley (pictured), the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it would be “very difficult to maneuver” in the region’s autumn rains.
Speaking on BBC Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, he added: ‘They have achieved at least partial success in what they set out to do, and that is important.
‘And then the rain comes. It gets very muddy.
‘Then it will be very difficult to maneuver, and then you will have a deep winter.’ In the same program, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defense staff, said Ukraine was “winning” because Russia had failed to bring the country under control.
“That hasn’t happened and never will, and that’s why Ukraine wins,” he added.
Meanwhile, a Spanish charity director and a Canadian aid worker were killed by Russian shelling yesterday. Emma Igual, 32, traveled with Anthony Ihnat and two other volunteers in a van close to the front line of the Ukrainian offensive.
Meanwhile, a Spanish charity director and a Canadian aid worker were killed by Russian shelling yesterday. Emma Igual (pictured), 32, traveled with Anthony Ihnat and two other volunteers in a van close to the front line of the Ukrainian offensive
Ruben Mawick, from Germany, and Johan Mathias Thyr, from Sweden, were seriously injured.
The four – from Road for Relief, which helps evacuate injured people from frontline areas – were trapped in the burning van after it was hit by shells near the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut.
Road to Relief said the group was on its way to assess the needs of civilians on the outskirts of Bakhmut, which saw the longest and bloodiest battle of the war before falling to Russian forces in May.