‘There will be very heavy street fights in Ukraine’
“Russia Ukraine they do not want to enter their cities, but they will be forced to do so, and they will suffer heavy losses when they enter the cities. There will be very heavy city battles “
Russia’s missile strikes on a number of cities in Ukraine have “destroyed” the ruins, Mariupol and Kharkiv cities like continuous artillery and is under rocket fire.
Ukraine forces are counterattacking in some places. Russia in response, bombing cities from a distance. A month-long war left many without food, light or water.
What we have seen in recent weeks will be repeated
RFE / RL’s Reid Standish reports that analysts expect long-term fighting and that the war will escalate to city level.
Reservist Colonel of the US Special Forces, Madison Policy Forum executionçı director Liam Collins Ukraine He made recommendations to the Ministry of Defense on military reforms. He said in a radio interview that the situation in the war was stagnant.
“There will be small progress, and Ukraine will counterattack,” he said. But I think it will be repeated in the future that we have seen in recent weeks, Russia “Their forces are around a city, in a relatively safe position, they are launching artillery strikes on cities.” He said.
Supply is declining
Food for Russian forces and As for the claims of Ukrainian officials about the depletion of ammunition, Collins says that, Russian supplies are falling faster than expected. Because they were planning a short-term operation, and the Russians did not have as strong a logistics system as many Western armies.
Russian forces Kyiv stays around, Mariupol and Kharkiv while intensive bombing is carried out. “My city fights are starting,” he said and If so, how does that change the war? ” Collins says in response to a reporter’s question that, Russian forces are in a safer position around the city and city artillery and they fire rockets. But when they enter the city, they face not only the Ukrainian armed forces, but also tens of thousands of volunteers.
“She according to also Russia Ukraine they do not want to enter their cities, but they will be forced to do so, and they will suffer heavy losses when they enter the cities. There will be very heavy city battles, “he said. – he emphasizes.
The role of reforms
Collins considers reforms in the Ukrainian army important. The fighting capacity of the weak Ukrainian army in 2014 was also low. However, during the war in the Donbas, the army also underwent significant reforms.
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014 and began supporting separatists in the Donbas. Since then, about 14,000 people have died in the conflict.
“They were helped by Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger missiles. There has been a cultural change in the Ukrainian defense establishment, with lower-level leaders empowered to run the same mission as in the United States. ” – emphasizes the retired colonel.
The process will take a long time
Can strategy, weapons and tactics change the course of the war? According to Collins, he is currently the President of Russia Vladimir Putinwithdrawal with loss of is excluded. Ukrainians are not capitulating:
“They will not relinquish sovereignty and become a satellite of Russia and to it according to will also prolong the war. In my opinion, there is nothing to end this war quickly and I expect it to be a long, long process. “
Collins Javelin and emphasizes that other anti-tank missiles effectively destroy Russian equipment.
“The Russians are certain weather “Even if they win, they can’t keep it for long, because Ukraine has the anti-aircraft power provided by the West, which hinders Russia’s ability to fly.”– he says.