President Volodymyr Zelenskiy continues to call on the west to offer heavy weaponry, warning that progress will remain slow without more long-range fire and air power
Ukrainian soldiers from the 47th Brigade with a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine. Ukraine continues to press ahead with its counteroffensive. Ten weeks into Ukraine’s ambitious summer counteroffensive, and heavy losses and slow gains across the 950km front line have inevitably raised troubling questions.
It is feared Ukraine will struggle to recapture significant territory before muddy ground hinders manoeuvres or its forces run out of combat power; it is not the short, sharp, hoped-for gains but a war of attrition that may last well into next year. The total number of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed or wounded since the war began 18 months ago is nearing 500,000, US officials say.
Reports from the front suggest, however, that the Ukrainian army is in a better shape now than six months ago – its ability to move from defence to offence has been bolstered by troops trained abroad and western weapons. Longer-range artillery and, controversially, cluster munitions recently provided by the US, have been proving effective in destroying concentrations of Russian troops, armour and artillery systems.
To a small extent the offensive has been assisted by Irish Army training of demining teams, vital to clearing the way for mass attacks across heavily-mined ground. They are also providing training in basic lethal military skills such as rifle use and tactics which the Government argues are required for Ukraine to defend itself, thus not breaching Ireland’s military neutrality.
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