Kyiv military chief’s strong endorsement of counterattack and comparisons to World War I

KIEV.- Ukraine This Thursday he admitted that he was fighting Russia It was discovered At a standstill A has changed Battle of the Positions After 617 days of fighting and nearly five months of counterattacksOne that the Kremlin denies, arguing that it will continue to press the front lines until its forces achieve all their objectives.

“Now it is gradually turning into a positional war.”The commander wrote Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery ZaluznyIn a detailed article published with an interview in British Weekly Economist. According to public opinion, stagnation began to manifest itself last summer, leading to Prolongation of armed conflict.

Zalushni compared the current situation to World War I trench warfare, in which months of fighting took place over a few meters. “to Just like the First World War“We have reached a point of technology that puts us at a standstill,” he said.

The Kremlin, for its part, rejected Zalushny’s analysis. “No. [El conflicto] did not stop. Russia continues its special military operation. “All established objectives must be achieved,” said the President’s spokesperson. Vladimir PutinDmitry Peskov.

From Moscow’s point of view, Kiev must understand that Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield. “The sooner the Kiev regime realizes this, the better the chances [para una solución]”Peskov concluded.

At a time when the war in the Middle East has captured the attention of the international press, Zalushny’s impasse could be in Moscow’s favor. “This is beneficial to the enemy, who is trying by all means to reorganize and increase his military power”warned that

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has warned Now is not the time for the West to cut aid to UkraineBecause it would delay the arrival of weapons and disrupt Ukrainian strategy, as happened last year. Western resistance to the shipment of modern weapons requested by Q delayed the first counteroffensive until the fall.

Zalushny admitted in the article that the troops he was leading were They had advanced only 17 kilometers since they launched their counterattack on June 4 In the eastern region Donetsk and Southern Province ZaporizhiaThe two were illegally annexed by Russia in 2022, but the Russians recalled a ten-month attempt to capture the city of Pakmut in order to control the 36 square kilometer area.

Zalushni also agreed to it It underestimated Russia by believing that it could stop the enemy army “by shedding blood”..