UKRAINE IS MAKING GAINS IN ITS COUNTEROFFENSIVE, PUSHING THE RUSSIANS BACK ALONG THREE DIFFERENT LINES. MEANWHILE, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ADMITS HIS MILITARY DOESN’T HAVE THE WEAPONS IT NEEDS TO WIN THE WAR.

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE COUNTEROFFENSIVE BEGAN, UKRAINIAN MILITARY LEADERSHIP SPOKE PUBLICLY ABOUT THE OPERATION. OVER THE LAST WEEK, UKRAINE’S BIGGEST GAINS CAME IN THE DIRECTIONS OF DONETSK AND ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLASTS.

UKRAINIAN TROOPS RECAPTURED AT LEAST SEVEN SETTLEMENTS AND A 38 SQUARE MILE SWATH OF LAND. UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES ARE ALSO MAKING ADVANCES AROUND THE EASTERN CITY OF BAKHMUT. THE NEWLY LIBERATED LAND EASILY REPRESENTS THE BIGGEST GAINS OF THE YEAR SO FAR FOR UKRAINE, BUT THE MAIN COUNTEROFFENSIVE BATTLES ARE STILL AHEAD.

IT’S ESTIMATED UKRAINE CREATED AN ATTACK FORCE OF AROUND 12 BRIGADES FOR THE OPERATION, EACH WITH A THOUSAND SOLDIERS OR SO. THE NEW ATTACK BRIGADES ARE ARMED MOSTLY WITH WESTERN WEAPONS AND ARMORED VEHICLES. THEY’RE BEING HELD BACK FROM GOING ON THE ATTACK, THOUGH, AT LEAST FOR NOW.

I’LL EXPLAIN WHY.

THE FIGHTING IN UKRAINE REMAINS FIERCE, WITH HEAVY LOSSES ON BOTH SIDES. UKRAINE IS USING SMALLER, PROBING ATTACKS ALONG THE FRONTLINES BECAUSE THEY’RE LOOKING FOR WEAK SPOTS. IF THOSE SMALL PROBING ATTACKS FIND A HOLE IN RUSSIAN DEFENSES, THEN THE MECHANIZED BRIGADES BEING HELD IN RESERVE WILL BE CALLED IN TO EXPLOIT THE HOLE AND OVER-RUN RUSSIAN POSITIONS.

IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND COSTLY METHOD OF ATTACK, ESPECIALLY WITH LITTLE AIR-SUPPORT. IMAGES OF DESTROYED WESTERN TANKS AND INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLES ARE PLAYING ON A VIRTUAL LOOP ON RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA.

PRESIDENT PUTIN ALSO WENT ON STATE MEDIA THIS WEEK. THE RUSSIAN LEADER TOOK PART IN A TELEVISED DISCUSSION WITH SEVERAL MILITARY BLOGGERS, AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE INFLUENCE THE BLOGGERS NOW WIELD. IN A RARE MOMENT OF TRUTH, PUTIN ADMITTED HIS TROOPS DON’T HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO WIN IN UKRAINE.

PUTIN SAID “DURING THE COURSE OF THE SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION, IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THERE ARE SHORTAGES OF MANY THINGS: PRECISION-GUIDED MUNITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT, AIRCRAFT, DRONES AND SO ON.”

PUTIN SAID HE ALSO WANTS MORE MODERN TANKS AND ANTI-TANK WEAPONS. HE THEN PROMISED THE MILBLOGGERS THAT WEAPONS PRODUCTION HAD ALREADY INCREASED THREE-FOLD, AND WOULD INCREASE 10-FOLD FOR THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER WEAPONS. HOWEVER, WITH WESTERN SANCTIONS CRIPPLING RUSSIA’S MILITARY INDUSTRIAL BASE, PUTIN WILL BE HARD-PRESSED TO MEET HIS OWN BENCHMARKS. RUSSIA’S ECONOMY IS IN A FREE-FALL. OIL AND GAS REVENUES ARE DOWN 50% AND THE BUDGET DEFICIT IS GROWING. IT’S SO BAD, SOME ECONOMISTS THINK RUSSIA COULD BE A FAILED STATE WITHIN 10 YEARS.

MEANWHILE, WESTERN SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE IS SWELLING. DENMARK AND GERMANY ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK A JOINT VENTURE TO SEND ABOUT 200 MORE UPGRADED LEOPARD 1 BATTLE TANKS TO UKRAINE, AND UKRAINIAN PILOTS GET CLOSER TO FLYING F-16s BY THE DAY.

A DAY AFTER PUTIN’S TV APPEARANCE WITH THE MILBLOGGERS, MANY OF THEM STARTED REPORTING THAT AN UNSPECIFIED NUMBER OF RUSSIAN SOLDIERS WERE KILLED BY A UKRAINIAN HIMARS STRIKE WHILE WAITING FOR THEIR COMMANDER TO GIVE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH. THE INCIDENT REPORTEDLY HAPPENED NEAR KREMINNA. THE MILBLOGGERS SAID A DIVISION OF RUSSIAN TROOPS WERE STANDING IN FORMATION FOR AROUND TWO HOURS BEFORE THE STRIKE. ONE MILBLOGGER WROTE THE COMMANDER RESPONSIBLE SHOULD BE SHOT.

WE HAVE MORE UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACT REPORTING ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE. YOU CAN FIND THOSE STORIES AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM.