Ukrainian military expert says advance against Russian forces is too sluggish, urges decisive action
The current military operations conducted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are deemed necessary “due to the coercion by the Russian Federation and its Armed Forces,” said Yakubets.
“Where we advance by one or one-and-a-half kilometers, those are indeed successes. However, when we progress by 100-300 meters, it essentially amounts to a standstill.”
Yakubets said that covering a distance of 100 to 300 meters entails “crossing or overcoming half of the neutral zone,” which, according to him, extends from 300 to 500 meters in certain directions.
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“Strategically, I am deeply concerned about this issue because if we persist in advancing at the current pace, we will inadvertently be playing into the hands of the Russian Federation, which will have detrimental consequences for us,” the expert said.
He pointed out that sluggish progress results in increased casualties, and the cost of gaining every next hundred meters or kilometer becomes steeper.
“Therefore, it is imperative for our military and political leadership to carefully consider these issues, assess the advantages and disadvantages, and muster the courage to take decisive actions,” Yakubets said.
The military expert also said that the Russians, by compelling the Ukrainians to advance slowly, have successfully “moved forward with their plans. And now they are also advancing in certain directions.”
“In such a tandem, it will take us decades to liberate our territories,” he said.
A resolute deployment of units, formations, and subdivisions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is imperative to achieve the operational objective of “attaining a boundary depth ranging from eight to 100 kilometers behind enemy lines.”
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“This resoluteness would disrupt the enemy’s entire defense system, including their operational-strategic defense, setting it into motion. As it starts moving, the enemy’s resistance diminishes ,since they abandon prepared positions, fire zones, adjust artillery placements, and alter logistical routes... It is precisely during this moment that the progress of our troops becomes most effective.”
He also said that advancing by 1,200 meters signifies the capture of a strongpoint at the platoon level within the first echelon.
“In other words, we have successfully breached the enemy’s first echelon, specifically the company of the first battalion. We haven’t reached the second echelon yet.”
“However, when we break through the battalions of the second echelon within a brigade, we dismantle and annihilate the brigade, propelling us into the operational-tactical depth. This progress takes us not only into the operational depth, but even further into the tactical depth.”
The Ukrainian military’s General Staff announced on June 16 that Ukrainian units have successfully conducted offensive operations in the following areas:
Novodanilivka-Robotyne (towards Tokmak, Zaporizhzhya Oblast)
Levadne-Staromayorske (on the border of Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk Oblasts)
East of the settlement of Stupochky in Donetsk Oblast, displacing Russians from their occupied positions
In the Vuhledar area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces achieved success in certain areas.
Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar stated that over the past week-and-a-half, Ukrainian forces have advanced more than three kilometers in the eastern direction.
She also reported that during the first week of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Ukraine’s losses were significantly lower than those of the Russian forces.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine’s ongoing successful counter-offensive on the front lines may ultimately lead to a decisive defeat for Russia.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
