Successes instead of “stalemate”?
Zelenskyj: We have a plan for the period after the counteroffensive
November 8, 2023, 10:29 p.m
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Ukrainian President Zelensky is confident after recent rather pessimistic statements from the army’s leadership. He therefore has a plan to achieve success soon. One of his employees recently even outlined a strategy for the collapse of the Putin regime.
After the serious and globally noticed words of the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine, Valeriy Salushnyj, who spoke of a deadlocked war, concerns have spread. Could this play into the hands of the Russian war of aggression? Some speculate that Saluschnyj’s main purpose with his statements was to put pressure on the West for further arms deliveries; others agreed with him because of the minimal changes on the front in the past few weeks. And still others vehemently contradicted Saluzhnyj’s statements. This included, of all people, Ukrainian President Zelensky. “There is no “stalemate,” he said. Now he follows up with further statements that may be intended to counter the emerging concerns or war weariness.
In a video link at the Reuters Next conference in New York, Zelensky said Ukraine had a plan to continue fighting after the slow counteroffensive in the south in recent months. The military wants to demonstrate successes on the battlefield this year. However, an exact strategy as to how this should take place was not revealed. There could be progress on the southern bank of the Dnipro: According to the US think tank ISW, Ukraine is expanding its presence there. Several hundred soldiers are said to have crossed over, and military technology was apparently also shipped.
A contribution from the advisor to the head of Zelensky’s office, Mykhailo Podolyak, recently caught people’s attention. On Platform However, Podolyak wrote that they had “a clear idea of what the end of the war will be.”
Belief in technological superiority
At the same time, he admitted that there are “difficulties” in the current phase, but Kiev – despite the slow pace – continues to draw hope from “increasing the supply of weapons”, meaning Western supplies. At the same time, Podolyak spoke of the “technological superiority” that needed to be achieved on the battlefield.
Technological superiority is said to inflict “significant tactical defeats” on Russia. Ukrainian pilots will soon be training on the first F-16 fighter jets, which will be deployed on the battlefield next year. The country also recently received its first ATACMS missiles and was able to carry out successful attacks with them.
However, Kiev is also making efforts elsewhere. The Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, recently reported on social networks about a new electronic warfare system that is now ready for mass production: The Piranha AVD 360. It is intended to help protect armored vehicles and soldiers more effectively from enemy drones – a factor that should not be underestimated in this war.
“It creates a protective dome of up to 600 meters around itself. Under the influence of the system, a copter or kamikaze drone cannot receive commands or transmit data. As a result, the ‘bird’ either hovers in the air, makes an emergency landing or falls uncontrollably,” Fedorov wrote. The minister also believes that technology and innovation are the key to Ukraine’s victory. “They help us destroy the enemy more effectively and save the lives of our soldiers.”
Oleksiy Melnyk, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Ukrainian army, said in an interview with ntv.de about suggestions from Commander-in-Chief Zalushnyj, who named five areas to get out of the “dead end” of the war: “Some suggestions for the fight against drones or in terms of electronic warfare I think it’s very exciting. But I’m not sure whether just these five areas will help turn the war around decisively.”
Podolyak outlines end of Putin
Of course, it should not be ignored that those in government want to keep the morale and hope of the soldiers and population high, especially in difficult phases. Praising plans or technical achievements can be a suitable tool.
Presidential adviser Podolyak still believes in “the collapse of Russia’s defense” as a result of Ukrainian counterattacks. And he also gives a strategy – or hope – for the period afterwards: “The return of aggressive mobilized forces to Russia – the collapse of the fundamental myths of Russian propaganda – the final decline of the influence of Putin and his comrades-in-arms, Russia’s self-isolation, internal unrest , the replacement of the current Russian elites with transitional elites.” After that, Russia will begin to take the place in the world that it “really deserves,” said Podolyak.