06/20/2024
The offensive of the Russians in the Kharkiv direction showed how flawed was the policy of Ukraine’s western partners to forbid it to use the weapons transferred by them on the territory of the Russian Federation, at least in the border regions.
This was stated by Bundestag deputy, retired Bundeswehr colonel Roderich Kiesewetter in a comment to Ukrinform.
“The Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region showed how ridiculous from a military point of view the restrictions on the use of weapons systems supplied by Western partners, exclusively on the territory of Ukraine, were, and what benefit was brought by the cancellation of these restrictions,” Kiesewetter said, adding that the permission was given too late.
He stated that war crimes and Russia’s shelling of Ukrainian regions, in particular Kharkiv, testify to the inability of the West to provide the necessary support.
“Blocking, delaying and limiting weapons systems is beneficial to Russia and costs the lives of Ukrainian military and civilians. That’s why it’s so important that we finally give it our all and stop artificially limiting Ukraine’s ability to wage war,” the politician emphasized.
At the same time, he noted that the way the Russian occupying forces are forced to defend themselves in the Kharkiv Region shows how effective and professional the Ukrainian military leadership is.
According to the German deputy, Ukraine expected Russian attacks, prepared for them and clearly responded in military, political and communicative terms. Thanks to the ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to destroy Russian bridgeheads on Russian territory, the danger was to some extent mitigated, he noted, calling the restrictions on the use of Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation “ridiculous.”
According to Kiesewetter, the Armed Forces of Ukraine rely on dynamic defense, ready for a war of attrition against Russia. Due to a lack of time and, above all, materials and personnel, the Ukrainian side did not build anti-tank ditches, minefields and create three defensive lines, but instead made a bet on defense with the recapture/liberation of small parts of the occupied areas. Such a technique serves to maximize Russia’s losses, maintain defense lines, and move troops in a timely manner. At the same time, Ukraine is trying to use the vulnerable spots of enemy troops, the former Bundeswehr officer noted. More anti-aircraft systems like the Patriot and munitions of all kinds remain important, the retired colonel stressed.
According to him, Russia has shown its intention to “simply destroy”, it is deliberately trying to turn into ruins critical infrastructure, such as power plants and water supply facilities, as well as whole parts of Ukraine. The Russian Federation is betting on the depletion of the population and the destruction of civil infrastructure in order to cause a wave of refugees and displaced persons, Kiesewetter stated.
From a military point of view, the goal of the offensive in the Kharkiv region was, of course, to “bind” Ukrainian troops in the region and force them to withdraw from Donbas. The overall goal was to destabilize the border region, Kiesewetter said.
Ukraine, the member of the Bundestag noted, should try to stabilize the situation, because Russia will probably continue to try to attack Kharkiv Oblast, and an attack on Sumy cannot be ruled out. It should also not be discounted that the Russians also learned something new.
But the Russians are too few to achieve large territorial gains; rather, it is done with the aim of withdrawing Ukrainian soldiers from other areas of the front, the German politician is convinced.
Bakhmut showed that Russia does not care how big its own losses are, he noted. In this regard, it is quite possible that Russia will continue to put pressure on the region and will repeatedly check where there are weak points on the defense lines. Currently, Russia is more focused on Chasovoy Yar and the western areas of Avdiyivka, as well as on the Pokrovska region.
The front is very large, 1400 km, the situation remains dynamic. After long phases of small frontal movements, rapid advances are possible, so it is difficult to predict, Kiesewetter noted. However, Ukrainian soldiers are incredibly effective and brave and quickly adapt to new challenges and tasks, he emphasized.
Roderich Kiesewetter – German politician, member of the Christian Democratic Union, member of the Bundestag since 2009, deputy head of the control committee, retired colonel of the Bundeswehr. From 2011 to 2016, he was the president of the Association of Reservists of the Bundeswehr. Kiesewetter and other members of his party, now in opposition, constantly demand in the parliament to hand over long-range Taurus missiles and other powerful weapons to Ukraine.
Roderich Kiesewetter is one of Germany’s better politicians and always a strong supporter of Ukraine, so it’s not really astonishing to hear him say this. But, what does his boss, Scholz think about this? And, why are all the wrong people in high places across the West? Why can’t a Roderich Kiesewetter be chancellor of Germany, for instance? If so, this war could be over already.
US says Ukraine can hit inside Russia ‘anywhere’ its forces attack across the border
The U.S. has told Ukraine it can use American-supplied weapons to hit any Russian forces attacking from across the border — not just those in the region near Kharkiv, according to U.S. officials.
The subtle shift in messaging — which officials insist is not a change in policy — comes just weeks after the U.S. quietly gave Kyiv the green light to strike inside Russia in response to a cross-border assault on the city of Kharkiv. At the time, U.S. officials stressed that the policy was limited to the Kharkiv region, among other restrictions.
Ukrainian forces have since used American weapons to strike into Russia at least once, destroying targets in the city of Belgorod, and managed to hold back the Russian assault. But Ukrainian and other European officials have pressed the U.S. to loosen its restrictions even further, allowing Ukraine to strike anywhere inside Russia.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told PBS on Tuesday that the agreement with Ukraine about firing American weapons into Russia extends to “anywhere that Russian forces are coming across the border from the Russian side to the Ukrainian side to try to take additional Ukrainian territory.”
Russia has in recent days indicated it may soon move on the northeastern city of Sumy, which is also near the Russian border. If that happens, the policy would apply there as well, Sullivan said.
“This is not about geography. It’s about common sense. If Russia is attacking or about to attack from its territory into Ukraine, it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to hit back against the forces that are hitting it from across the border,” Sullivan said.
Two U.S. officials, who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about the discussions, maintained that allowing Ukraine to hit inside Russia in response to counterfire from anywhere across the border is not a shift in policy since the Kharkiv decision was made. Originally, the move was characterized only in the context of the ongoing Kharkiv assault, but that did not exclude the possibility of hitting back against other cross-border attacks, said one of the officials.
Still, Sullivan’s language is markedly different from what U.S. officials said in May when the new policy was detailed. At the time a senior U.S. official said: “The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them.”
The policy of not allowing long-range strikes inside Russia “has not changed,” the official stressed.
[From Politico via MSN]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-says-ukraine-can-hit-inside-russia-anywhere-its-forces-attack-across-the-border/ar-BB1oBajn
Thanks for sharing, Larry.
Dear Colonel Kiesewetter. In case she still hasn’t changed her mind, please have a chat with Giorgia Meloni.
Good idea!
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told PBS on Tuesday that the agreement with Ukraine about firing American weapons into Russia extends to “anywhere that Russian forces are coming across the border from the Russian side to the Ukrainian side to try to take additional Ukrainian territory.”
This sentence is mush. You should find a different line of work, Sullivan. The question is exactly how far into Russia may we fire? And with what weapons?