Ukraine frontline report (3rd edition)
2023.12.19 (Tue) Hitoshi Takayo Follow Following Reconnaissance drone “Leleka100”. A camera is mounted on the head (photographed by the author)
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(Hitoshi Takayo: Journalist)
What is happening on the front lines where the Ukrainian army confronts the Russian army? In late October, just before winter, I visited Ukraine’s Eastern and Southern Fronts, where fierce fighting continues, to report on the situation.
>> Photos of drone operations by the 28th Independent Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army
[Part 1]The morale of Ukrainian soldiers infiltrating the battlefield, covering the shortage of weapons and ammunition as seen by a Japanese reporter
[Part 2]Remains of defeated Russian tanks are “reused” to make bombs, and the seriousness of Ukraine’s ammunition shortage
The cause of the stalled offensive is the lack of air power.
In June, Ukraine launched a full-scale counteroffensive against Russian forces. However, even after half a year, there has been no significant movement on the front, and the situation remains at a stalemate.
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zarzhny wrote in the November 1 issue of the British magazine The Economist that the war is shifting to a “positional form” similar to that of World War I. He showed a sense of crisis. This is because prolonging the war would give Russia an advantage due to its superior national power.
Commander Zarzhini cited the enemy’s overwhelming “air superiority” as a key factor in this situation. When Russia invaded, “Ukraine’s military entered the war with 120 tactical aircraft, of which only 40 were technically suitable for use, and 33 medium- and short-range anti-aircraft missile battalions were completely destroyed. “Only 18 had usable equipment,” he said, pointing out the dire state of air power and emphasizing the need to overcome the situation.
When I asked soldiers in the Ukrainian ground forces that I visited what their biggest challenge was, the answer was “lack of air power.” Soldiers are forced to fight a difficult battle without air superiority on the front lines.
Ukraine has been strongly requesting the West for fighter jets and other equipment since the Russian invasion, but it was only at the Hiroshima Summit in May that President Biden finally announced the provision of F-16 fighter jets. In order to use the F16 in actual combat, a period of pilot training was required, so it was not ready in time for the reversal offensive that began in June. The West missed the timing to hand over powerful weapons to Ukraine for fear of provoking Russia, which is having an impact on the course of the counteroffensive.
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2023-12-18 21:00:00
