NATO’s announcement of the upcoming delivery of heavier and more modern weapons to Ukraine comes as the Ukrainian army has the greatest difficulty in repelling the assaults of the Russian army, particularly in Soledar and in Bakhmut. After a positive dynamic with resounding victories in Izium, Lyman or Kherson recently, the Ukrainian army is now coming up against the Russian army in the Donbass, where the battle is fierce and bloody, the deadliest according to kyiv since February 24.
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The Ukrainian soldiers resist but at the cost of heavy losses. In Soledar, they backed down because Moscow launched a real human steamroller : all its forces have been thrown into this battle, it sends its men without counting, a reservoir of conscripts, mobilized as unlimited. Ukrainian soldiers speak of butchery, of fields covered with corpses, of a Russian army which has no respect for human life, for that of its soldiers.
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The reference to the battle of Verdun, to the First World War is relevant, if we are to believe the soldiers with whom we exchanged. The Ukrainian army therefore has an urgent need for ammunition and above all for more modern heavy weapons, tanks to repel the Russian soldiers.
Highly anticipated new western weapons
The soldiers returning from the front are still determined even if they are going through a difficult period, especially in the Donbass. They know that this war can last a long time, and are aware that the losses in their camp are very heavy. An officer told us that the ratio was five Russian soldiers killed for one Ukrainian soldier. The winter and the cold complicate the task but no desertion has been observed, unlike the Russian army which reportedly had many defections.
The announcement of the delivery of heavy weapons by the West to Ukraine revives hope because these weapons could have significant consequences on the ground. The allies will meet in Germany on Friday in the US-led Ukraine Contact Group. Discussions will focus on the supply of heavy armor and modern air defense systems.