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Re: Google AI Bard question: Is Ukraine winning the war?

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Ukraine Adopts Slow Approach to Counteroffensive:
‘Our Problem Everywhere Is the Sky’
Swift loss of several tanks and infantry fighting vehicles has jolted
Ukraine and its
Western backers
By James Marson Follow | Photographs by Emanuele Satolli for The Wall
Street Journal
Updated July 18, 2023 12:00 am ET
ORIKHIV, Ukraine—Six weeks into Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Capt.
Anatoliy Kharchenko and
his reconnaissance company were supposed to be wreaking havoc miles
behind Russian
defensive lines pierced by Western-supplied armored vehicles.
Instead, after many of the vehicles got bogged down in minefields,
Kharchenko and his men
are training how to advance methodically on foot, moving from one line
of trees to another,
faced with the prospect of taking back their country one field at a
time.
“We’ve got nothing to lose,” Kharchenko said. “Victory isn’t just
important, but it’s the only
option, otherwise we’ll all be dead.”
Ukraine’s counteroffensive, launched at the start of June, is aimed at
retaking some of the
nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory occupied by Moscow. The West provided
dozens of tanks
and infantry fighting vehicles and trained thousands of Ukrainian troops
for the campaign.
The swift loss of several tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, many of
them immobilized by
mines or missiles launched from attack helicopters, jolted Ukraine and
its Western backers.
Ukraine hasn’t achieved a decisive breakthrough, although it has seized
several villages.
Kyiv’s political and military leadership has complained that slow and
insufficient deliveries of
Western weaponry left it no choice but to assault Russian lines without
adequate air defenses,
leaving troops and vehicles vulnerable.

The Ukrainians are adapting and seeking to press forward in the south as
well as around theeastern city of Bakhmut,
Russia’s only signifi cant gain in its winter-and-spring off ensive
.Advancing slowly and meticulously to preserve Western armor, the
central aim remainsreaching the Sea of Azov, cutting off Crimea and
squeezing Russian forces out of the southernKherson region.
Most of the Ukrainian brigades trained and equipped by the West remain
in reserve, waitingto strike. Offi cers are seeking to preserve precious
Western equipment, from tanks toshoulder-fi red Stingers, while still
pushing forward.
“We are probing with our fi ngers and working out where to direct our fi
st,” said Kharchenko.
The stocky former paratrooper and his company of some 100 men had been
prepared to pushthrough any gap created in Russian lines and dash south.


But the gap never appeared. On the third day of the counteroff ensive,
he drove to MalaTokmachka to the southeast of Orikhiv to check out the
route they were supposed to take. Asartillery shells crashed around him,
he began to withdraw when he saw a Ukrainian vehicleblown up and body
parts of Ukrainian soldiers strewn over the road. He and his
teammatesdismounted to recover what they could.
Now, the task is even more daunting. After the
destruction of the Kakhovka dam
fl ooded theDnipro River at the start of June, Russia moved some units
that had been guarding the river’seastern bank to bolster forces to the
south of Orikhiv. They quickly dug in, expanding the linesof defense and
reinforcing the edges of towns and roads.
Kharchenko and his men are training for a more gradual advance over the
fl at land of thesouth, where neat villages are dotted among open fi
elds of sunfl owers and wheat. They areusing U.S.-made Bangalore
torpedoes, metal poles with explosive charges, which they hopewill help
them clear mines and booby traps from lines of trees along the edges of
fi elds so thatthey can advance and dig in.


One of his men questioned why they would seek to advance on foot given
that the Westprovided armor for protection.
Kharchenko said they don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the Russians
in the early days ofthe invasion, when Ukraine chewed up column after
column of Russian armored vehicles.
Ukraine has been targeting ammunition stores and command posts with
Himars rocketartillery
and long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles. The Storm Shadows can
strike fartherbut are expensive and in shorter supply, while the U.S.
has so far declined to provide longer-range ATACMS missiles that can be
launched from Himars.
So Ukraine has resorted to using Himars in a more daring fashion in
recent weeks, movingthem as close as a few miles from the front line to
strike deeper into occupied territory andpush Russia’s ammunition dumps
and command posts farther back.
Cluster munitions provided by the U.S. could help blast holes in minefi
elds and Russiandefensive networks including trenches and antitank
obstacles called dragon’s teeth.

Russia remains vulnerable because its troops are generally less well
prepared and supplied bya weak logistics chain that depends heavily on
railways. With Ukraine pushing in severalplaces, Russia doesn’t know
where to deploy its reserves and may struggle to react quickly
ifUkrainian forces do break through


Ukraine has been advancing fastest around the small eastern city of
Bakhmut, which Russiaseized in late May after months of brutal fi ghting
that cost it several thousand fi ghters.
The Russians barely had time to lay mines after
capturing Bakhmut
after months of house-to-house fighting.


Ukraine counterattacked and is now pushing Russian forces back on the
northern andsouthern edges of the city. In the south, Ukrainian forces
have crossed a canal and are pushingpast the town of Klishchiivka, while
in the north they are fi ghting toward a major highway.
As in the south, Russian air superiority is a major obstacle. Russian
Ka-52 helicopters hover ata distance of around 5 miles, outside the
range of Stinger missiles, and fi re laser-guidedmissiles at Ukrainian
targets.
The West blundered by giving tanks and armored vehicles but insuffi
cient means, such as jetfi ghters or air-defense systems, to protect
them from attack, said Yuriy Ulshyn, a 49-year-old  commander near
Bakhmut, better known as “Grek,” or “Greek.”
“It’s like giving a bike without pedals,” said Grek. “Thanks a lot for
the bike, but…”
Grek, a former geologist, commands a unit of some 40 volunteers whom he
stations in gapsbetween larger formations, gluing them together at
potential weak points.
His men on a hillside 3 miles from the edge of Bakhmut are armed with a
Stinger and a Soviet-era PKM machine gun, looking out for Russian jets,
helicopters and aerial drones.


Russian Orlan surveillance drones are a constant menace, spotting
targets and calling inartillery fi re.
On cloudy days, if the craft swoops low enough, they fi re bursts from
the PKM, hoping to downit. If the sky is clear, the Russians can watch
idly from above the PKM’s range, because Grek’steam is preserving
precious Stinger missiles for a more dangerous target like a helicopter
orwar plane.
“Our problem everywhere is the sky,” said Grek. “When the enemy can see
the wholebattlefi eld, what can you do? You need so much of everything.
When he can’t see it, he’s in thedark, and you don’t need as much.”

The lack of equipment weighs on Grek. A tow rope snapped as he was
trying to drag adamaged car away from the front line. Immobilized
vehicles, even those in Russian range, arequickly stripped for useful
parts. He worries about dying not in the heat of battle, but from
hislack of an armored car.
“I don’t want to die behind the wheel,” Grek said.


He and his men are fi nding creative solutions.
They scrambled to the top of a slag heap one recent night to mount a
camera connected to aStarlink internet terminal powered by a generator.
The camera provides a feed that can helpthem spot Russian aircraft at a
distance

They make their own attack drones in a garage in a nearby town, equipped
with enoughexplosives to take out an armored vehicle when they slam into
them. Their latest innovation,as yet untested in battle, is a
remote-controlled machine gun attached to the base of anelectric
wheelchair.
In the south, meanwhile, the
flooded Dnipro River
has created opportunities by washing awaysome Russian defenses.
Ukrainian special forces have crossed the river and are trying to expand
a bridgeheadopposite the southern capital of Kherson. Other troops have
been training in river crossings,including Kharchenko’s men, who used
sports infl atables provided by a charity fund.
Ukraine still holds a morale advantage from fi ghting for its own
territory, Kharchenko said. Itmay take longer and cost more lives, but
“there is no other plan,” he said. “It’s our land. Wehave to do it.”



The Starmaker wrote:
> 
> Ukraine Adopts Slow Approach to Counteroffensive: 'Our Problem ...
> www.wsj.com › articles ›
> ukraine-adopts-slow-approach-to-counteroffensi...
> 1 day ago · Ukraine Adopts Slow Approach to Counteroffensive: 'Our
> Problem Everywhere Is the Sky' · Swift loss of several tanks and
> infantry fighting ...
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=ukraine+adopts+slow+approach+to+counteroffensive
> 
> Richard Hertz wrote:
> >
> > ANSWER
> >
> > The war in Ukraine is still ongoing, and it is difficult to say who is winning. However, there are some signs that Ukraine is making progress. For example, Ukrainian forces have been able to retake some territory that was previously held by Russia. They have also been able to inflict heavy losses on Russian forces.
> >
> > In addition, the international community has been providing Ukraine with significant military and financial assistance. This has helped to level the playing field, and it has made it more difficult for Russia to achieve its objectives.
> >
> > However, Russia still has a significant military advantage. They have more troops, more tanks, and more aircraft than Ukraine. They are also willing to use more force, and they have shown a willingness to target civilian infrastructure.
> >
> > It is possible that Ukraine could eventually win the war, but it will be a long and difficult struggle. The outcome of the war will depend on a number of factors, including the continued support of the international community, the willingness of the Ukrainian people to fight, and the ability of the Ukrainian military to adapt to the changing circumstances.
> >
> > In the meantime, the war is having a devastating impact on Ukraine. Millions of people have been displaced from their homes, and thousands have been killed. The economy has been crippled, and the country's infrastructure has been severely damaged.
> >
> > The war in Ukraine is a tragedy, and it is a reminder of the destructive power of war. It is also a reminder of the importance of peace and diplomacy. We must work together to prevent future wars, and we must support those who are suffering from the effects of war.
> 
> --
> The Starmaker -- To question the unquestionable, ask the unaskable,
>  to think the unthinkable, mention the unmentionable, say the unsayable,
> and challenge
>  the unchallengeable.

-- 
The Starmaker -- To question the unquestionable, ask the unaskable,
 to think the unthinkable, mention the unmentionable, say the unsayable,
and challenge
 the unchallengeable.

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Google AI Bard question: Is Ukraine winning the war? Richard Hertz <hertz778@gmail.com> - 2023-07-18 09:08 -0700
  Re: Google AI Bard question: Is Ukraine winning the war? George Hammond <ghammond928@gmail.com> - 2023-07-18 09:55 -0700
    Re: Google AI Bard question: Is Ukraine winning the war? Cortez Koulaxizis <zxxi@ckzzeurs.ce> - 2023-07-18 18:47 +0000
      Re: Google AI Bard question: Is Ukraine winning the war? "Chris M. Thomasson" <chris.m.thomasson.1@gmail.com> - 2023-07-18 12:27 -0700
  Re: Google AI Bard question: Is Ukraine winning the war? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2023-07-18 21:55 -0700
    Re: Google AI Bard question: Is Ukraine winning the war? The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2023-07-18 22:20 -0700

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