Extensive minefields are largest obstacle in Ukraine's counteroffensive – TWP
Фото: The Washington Post
Ukraine has received less than 15% of its requested demining and engineering equipment from the West, the Washington Post reports.
Both President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov have called on the Western allies for procuring more mine-clearing systems.
The anticipated preparations for the counteroffensive, which began about a month ago in many parts of the battlefield in eastern and southern Ukraine, gave the Russians some time to set their defenses.
Areas between 3 and 10 miles deep in front of the Russians' main strongholds have been densely mined with antitank and antipersonnel mines and trip wires. These defenses have been successful in stalling the Ukrainian advance.
As a result, Kyiv's forces have changed strategy, Ukrainian military personnel said. Rather than try to break through with the infantry fighting vehicles and battle tanks that Western allies provided to aid Ukraine in this counteroffensive, units are moving forward, slowly, on foot, the publication notes.
Ukraine's struggles on minefields have exposed vulnerabilities of the personnel carriers and tanks — especially the newly arrived American Bradley fighting vehicles and German Leopard tanks — that officials had hailed as being key for Ukraine to seize back occupied territory from the Russians.
The vehicles have won praise from soldiers — even after they've hit mines, most people inside survive with just minor injuries — but they have not been able to breach Russia's defenses alone.
За словами Головнокомандувача ЗСУ Валерія Залужного, Україні потрібне спеціальне дистанційне обладнання для розмінування. В інтерв'ю WP він розповів, що Україна використовує надані США системи M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC), але "вони також знищуються", а тому "їх потрібно багато".
Високопоставлений український чиновник, який говорив з WP на умовах анонімності, розповів, що Київ отримав менше 15% від тої кількості саперного та інженерного обладнання, в тому числі MICLIC, яку просив у західних партнерів напередодні контрнаступу. Частина цього обладнання прибула лише минулого тижня, повідомив чиновник.
Як повідомляє видання, в інтерв'ю міністр оборони України Олексій Резніков та Залужний сказали, що поінформували своїх західних колег про те, що їм терміново потрібно більше систем розмінування. На кшталт, як торпедні вибухові заряди "Бангалор".
"Мінні поля – це одна з проблем, яка, безумовно, впливає на темпи наступу. Це проблема, яку ми бачимо. Чи можна було її вирішити швидше? Можна було. Як її можна було б вирішити? Генерал Міллі (голова Об'єднаного комітету начальників штабів США Марк Міллі – ред.) знає. Інше питання, чи може він у цьому допомогти? Я не знаю", – сказав Залужний.
The officials added that the US decision to provide Ukraine with controversial cluster munitions would give Kyiv fire superiority for the first time in this conflict, allowing the Ukrainians the proper time and space to use the engineering equipment they already have.
The depth and density of the minefields are particular challenges along the southern Zaporizhzhia front line.
The Ukrainians are trying for now to save the few they do have by doing the job manually. Sapper units — sometimes a group of just four people — will often wait for twilight to clear paths, as they are too visible in the daylight and can be seen through night-vision devices in the dark.
As they are moving on foot instead of on their new Western vehicles, soldiers said that replenishing ammunition supplies and evacuating wounded is more challenging.
In an interview with the Washington Post, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that newly arrived Western tanks have vulnerabilities because they alone are unable to breach Russian defenses bolstered by antitank and antipersonnel mines.
"We need special equipment. We need special remote mine-clearance equipment," Zaluzhny said, adding that Ukraine is using U.S.-provided M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) systems. Referring to the high rate of attrition of the equipment, he explained, "They are also being destroyed, yes. There's nothing wrong with that. It takes a lot of them."
