Many Ukrainian soldiers are said to be bored because of the long and deadlocked reality of the war. IT photo
As winter approaches, Ukrainian soldiers are expressing concern that Russia is better equipped for battle and frustration that they are again on the defensive in a grueling war that has lasted nearly two years. Some doubt the decisions of their leaders.
Discontent among Ukrainian soldiers – previously extremely rare and expressed only in private – is now becoming more widespread and public. In the southern city of Kherson, where Ukraine is staging offensives against well-armed Russian troops across the Dnieper River, soldiers are asking why these difficult landing operations are not being carried out. Do this months before the weather gets warmer.
“I don’t understand,” said a commander of an anti-drone unit of Ukraine’s 11th National Guard Brigade. “Now it’s colder, it’s more difficult to cross the river. That’s not just my feeling, many units also share it,” added the commander nicknamed Boxer.
One reason why the mood of Ukrainian soldiers is increasingly low is because the source of foreign military aid for them is becoming more uncertain than ever. Meanwhile, Russia is still well supplied with weapons and is improving its battlefield fighting skills and strategies day by day.
“The reason the Ukrainians are gloomy is because they now sense that not only have they not fought well this year… but they also know that the Russians… are improving. They also see what’s happening in Congress America and they see what happened in the EU,” said Richard Barrons, a former British army general.
Moscow has significantly beefed up its defense industry over the past year, producing armored vehicles and artillery shells at a rate that Ukraine cannot match. Boxer, the Ukrainian commander in Kherson, commented: “Yes, they are ahead of us logistically.” Boxer also admitted that Russian drones have a longer range and more advanced software.
“It allows drones to fly to an altitude of 2,000 meters, avoiding jamming devices,” while Ukraine’s drones “can only fly at an altitude of 500 meters,” Boxer said. .
Despite the nervous mood, Serhii, a Ukrainian commander of the 59th Brigade operating in the city of Avdiivka, eastern Ukraine, declared that they have no intention of stopping fighting.
“Surely everyone is tired of war, both physically and mentally. But imagine if we stopped – what would happen next? If there wasn’t a single bullet left, we would kill them (Russian troops with shovels,” Mr. Serhii emphasized.