When the Russian offensive began UkraineThe goal was the whole: Moscow wanted to reach Kiev in order to put an end to what was happening to the Russian President as soon as possible. Vladimir Putinin the name “special military operationThe victory seemed so easy that the Russian state agency Ria Novosti accidentally published an article celebrating it a few days after it started, saying, ” little russia“(Ukraine) had returned. Just then, a 40-mile convoy of military vehicles On his way to Kiev, following the Ukrainian capital. The initial deployment had no effect as the Ukrainian government and Army did not give up and the column was withdrawn without any official explanation.
HE reality check It was brutal, and to this day, a year after the president’s announcement, Russia and Ukraine continue to fight on the front lines in the east and southeast of the country. On February 24, 2022, “Vladimir Putin had a brief war in mind, something like that. blitzkrieg “The German blitzkrieg was a strategy used in World War II, but it failed,” independent military analyst Denys Kolesnyk told El Periódico de Catalanya from Prensa Ibérica. The first phase of the offensive, in which the Kremlin underestimated Ukraine’s fighting spirit and Western support. The 2008 war against Georgia resonated in Moscow, where it defeated Tbilisi in a conflict that lasted a little over a week. The same Russian president asked the Ukrainian troops on the day of the offensive. let go of your arms and they went home. Then any Massacre would potentially be Kiev’s fault. Russia at that time “exaggerated its weight”slavic brotherhoodthat he believes will stop his army” Volodymyr Zelensky. In addition to the high morale of the Ukrainian troops and civilians who enlisted voluntarily, ” anti-tank missiles And air defense systems laptops,” adds the analyst, something that is possible with Western support for Kiev.
At the same time, the Russian Army was attacking the east of the country and supporting its allies. self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, will be added later. This part of Ukraine (along with the southeast) is where most of the conflicts take place. In early April, Moscow realized that there could not be two. open facades focused on the capital and began to leave the positions around the Chernobyl factory. south and east facades not without a trace of destruction, like the cities of the Slavic country that he managed to conquer Mariupol, currently under Russian control. One of the shortcomings of the Russian troops at that time was the lack of men at the front, and the Wagner mercenary group then began recruiting. Russian prisoners will fight against Ukraine. What initially helped conquer some towns in the Donbass was not enough to keep the pulse of the growing Ukraine. Economic and military aid from the United States and other Western countries, something that is key to avoiding a quick defeat.
More fuel to the fire
On March 8, Putin addressed the women of Russia to reassure mothers, daughters, sisters and wives across the country that there would be no calls. However, on September 21, he himself announced a partial mobilization, causing panic at the land borders and skyrocketing air ticket prices. Ukrainian counteroffensive in early September go against the ropes The evidence to the Russian Army and in the Kremlin could no longer be denied: the front needed more men, and with convicts conscripted by the Wagner group, this was not enough. “At the beginning of the invasion, the forces were not enough to guarantee the occupation of Ukraine and install a pro-Russian puppet government in Kiev,” Kolesnik said. According to this analyst, “a shortage of troops was noted and the Russians had to call to continue the pressure on Ukraine.” And he predicts that “the mobilization will continue more covertly” to prevent the migration from becoming larger.
At that time, Russia held “referendums” for the annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions in order to secure what has been achieved so far. without being recognized the international community’s “legitimate” claim as their own in the eyes of the provinces under their control. This extraordinary recruitment effort did not stop the Ukrainian advance, and Moscow, in its opinion, abandoned part of its property, as in the city of Kherson, which is today controlled by Kiev.
the arrival of winter end of november He halted the advance of both sides due to difficulties in moving his troops and supplying supplies. Peace in Ukraine seems far away for now. The same Russian president pointed out this Tuesday that Russia will go “to the end”. “For now, the Russians have failed to gain the upper hand in Ukrainian airspace,” Kolesnyk says. will receive long-range missiles and aviation to save the country.” Ukraine has recently requested F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies, but so far no country has sent such aircraft to Ukraine.