New York Times deciphering the reason for Ukraine’s failures on the eastern front

In a report examining the reasons for Russia’s recent advances in eastern Ukraine, The American Times wrote, “Although some, small, but rapid gains by Russian forces outside the city of Avdiyka in eastern Ukraine attributed to the lack of Ukrainian ammunition and the reduction of Western aid, but there is another reason why Russian forces are advancing in the region; Defense weakness of Ukraine”.

Based on a New York Times review of satellite images, scattered and simple trenches make up the region west of Avdiyka, which Ukraine is trying to defend. These defensive trenches lack many secondary fortifications that could help slow down Russian tanks and defend major roads and important terrain.

Audioka turned into a fierce stalemate in the last 9 months and emerged as one of the bloodiest battles of the war. When Russia took control of the city on February 17, the Ukrainian military claimed to have secured defense lines outside the city, but within a week, Russian forces have taken three villages west of Avdiyka and are fighting They are to capture another village.

Position of Ukrainian trenches in Avdiyka region

According to the New York Times, US officials also said on Wednesday that they are concerned that Ukraine has not strengthened its defenses in time or sufficiently and may now face the consequences as Russian military units slowly but steadily move beyond. They advance from Avdevika.

Also, the British Army’s intelligence wing announced on Thursday that Russian forces have advanced to about four miles from the center of Avdiyoka in the past two weeks, which, although a small advance compared to previous offensive operations, is unusually fast.

The newspaper continued: But Ukrainian commanders have had enough time to prepare defenses outside Avdiyoka, and the Ukrainian defenses outside Avdiyka show simple earthen fortifications with a communication trench for infantry to reach The firing positions are close to the enemy, nothing more.

Ukraine’s lack of strong entrenchment in the region is particularly evident when compared to Russia’s strong defenses, which ultimately failed during Ukraine’s counteroffensive last summer and thwarted Kiev’s advances.

The Russian barricade outside the southern village of Verbove, which Ukraine tried and failed to recapture this fall, paints a very different picture. Unlike the villages Russian forces are trying to capture outside of Avdiyka, Vorobov has a concentric ring of fortifications.

This defensive barrier begins with a trench wide enough to trap advancing tanks and armored vehicles, followed by a network of concrete barriers called “dragon’s teeth” that are also used to stop vehicles. and finally ends with a very large trench for infantry. Satellite images from February show Russia’s multi-layer defense in the west of this region.

Field situation in “Verbove” in eastern Ukraine and Russian defense fortifications

The New York Times also examined the reasons for Ukraine’s weak defense in the region and wrote: “American officials and military experts believe that Ukrainian authorities may have focused too much on offensive operations last year rather than Allocate the necessary resources to build the many types of trenches and traps that Russian engineers have built in the south of this country since the end of 2022.”

According to these American officials, there may also be a psychological element in the game; If Ukrainian forces heavily mine certain areas to thwart Russian advances, this is a tacit acknowledgment that they are unlikely to conduct offensive operations in the same area in the future. The officials said that they are effectively handing over that territory to the Russian military.

While Moscow began building defense lines in the south more than half a year before Kiev’s counteroffensive, Ukraine appears to have begun plans for new fortifications only three months ago, when government officials formed a They announced a task force to coordinate efforts between civilian and military authorities.

Ukrainian authorities have said that they are facing a shortage of people who can do the construction work. In mid-January, local officials in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region said they were looking for 300 workers to help build trenches in the Donetsk region, more than 500 miles to the east.

Delays in the construction of fortifications mean that Ukrainian forces may now be freed to reinforce Khedov’s defenses while under fire from the Russian army, making the task increasingly difficult.

Source: ISNA