Here is how to read between the lines of Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief’s essay on what Ukraine needs to defeat Russia
From: Euromaiden Press BY HANS PETTER MIDTTUN
General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, recently published an essay titled “Modern positional warfare and how to win in it.” While many have interpreted this as an admission of stalemate, Zaluzhnyi himself never used the term.
He describes land warfare as becoming more positional due to the lack of military asymmetry:
- Both parties – when moving forward – are advancing against fortified positions protected by minefields, artillery, MLRS, anti-tank weapons, and manoeuvre forces in reserve.
- Both are able to observe what the opponent is preparing far behind the frontline.
- Both can targeth command and control nodes, ammunition and fuel depots, and concentrations of soldiers and weapons in the rear.
- Both use precision ammunition.
- Both struggle to establish the additional forces needed to explore the advantage of a potential breakthrough. Instead, they focus on securing a 1,200 km long frontline.
- Both are being denied the use of conventional Air Power due to the density of Air Defence systems in the theatre.
- Both are, not least, developing their ability to conduct and defend themselves against drone warfare.
The general concludes that breaking the deadlock would take a massive technological leap. “There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.”
Voice of Ukraine 