Posted on Jul 7, 2023
Ukraine war: Front-line troops discuss counter-offensive
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As the anaesthetic began to wear off, the Ukrainian soldier - a scrawny, mud-flecked 19-year-old - let out a low wail in the back of the ambulance, then fumbled with his oxygen mask and swore as he mumbled: "Give me my rifle."
"They're often like this. So much trauma," said Dr Inna Dymitr, stroking the soldier's pale face as he slipped back into unconsciousness and the ambulance swerved, at furious speed, heading away from the frontlines south-east of Zaporizhzhia.
The young soldier's name was Oleh. In a trench that morning, shrapnel from an exploding Russian mortar had dug a large hole in his lower back, quite possibly severing his spinal cord.
"He's stable, but in a serious condition. We get so many like him," said Dr Dymitr, listing half a dozen other cases from recent days. She works for a private, Western-funded aid group, MOAS.
As the casualties from Ukraine's counter-offensive mount, it is easy to see why - on a rare visit to this closely guarded section of the southern front - some soldiers and observers are starting to wonder if a breakthrough is possible, or whether Russia's defensive lines, built up and heavily-reinforced over the winter months, are simply too much of a barrier.
"Without more [Western] help, I think we might lose this game," said Kyrylo Potras, a Ukrainian marine whose lower left leg was torn off by a Russian mine in 2020, but who has now returned to the frontlines. Potras said the presence of vast Russian minefields was proving a huge obstacle.
"They're often like this. So much trauma," said Dr Inna Dymitr, stroking the soldier's pale face as he slipped back into unconsciousness and the ambulance swerved, at furious speed, heading away from the frontlines south-east of Zaporizhzhia.
The young soldier's name was Oleh. In a trench that morning, shrapnel from an exploding Russian mortar had dug a large hole in his lower back, quite possibly severing his spinal cord.
"He's stable, but in a serious condition. We get so many like him," said Dr Dymitr, listing half a dozen other cases from recent days. She works for a private, Western-funded aid group, MOAS.
As the casualties from Ukraine's counter-offensive mount, it is easy to see why - on a rare visit to this closely guarded section of the southern front - some soldiers and observers are starting to wonder if a breakthrough is possible, or whether Russia's defensive lines, built up and heavily-reinforced over the winter months, are simply too much of a barrier.
"Without more [Western] help, I think we might lose this game," said Kyrylo Potras, a Ukrainian marine whose lower left leg was torn off by a Russian mine in 2020, but who has now returned to the frontlines. Potras said the presence of vast Russian minefields was proving a huge obstacle.
Ukraine war: Front-line troops discuss counter-offensive
Posted from bbc.com
Russia
Ukraine
Posted >1 y ago
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Both sides have been planning this for months. Defense in depth is what the Russians did when they survived the battle of kursk.
This is a sad war that should not have happened if president Trump did not want to pull out in a hurry and then change his mind and then President Biden was trying to upstage him. President Biden should have stayed in afghanistan. This is what happens when you have a president that's a cross between Mr Rogers and Mr Magoo. You and tice are enemies to strike. Just the other day, the dictator of China told his troops to get ready on Taiwan when our stupid president thing said climate change is the biggest existential threat.
Logistics is what's going determine the winner and I would hate to be a mechanic working on five or six different types of Tanks and half a dozen different armored vehicles from the usa, canada, Germany and elsewhere. This is a logistical nightmare and the USA is too afraid of giving long-range missiles to Ukraine to strike Russian depots inside Russia.
This is a sad war that should not have happened if president Trump did not want to pull out in a hurry and then change his mind and then President Biden was trying to upstage him. President Biden should have stayed in afghanistan. This is what happens when you have a president that's a cross between Mr Rogers and Mr Magoo. You and tice are enemies to strike. Just the other day, the dictator of China told his troops to get ready on Taiwan when our stupid president thing said climate change is the biggest existential threat.
Logistics is what's going determine the winner and I would hate to be a mechanic working on five or six different types of Tanks and half a dozen different armored vehicles from the usa, canada, Germany and elsewhere. This is a logistical nightmare and the USA is too afraid of giving long-range missiles to Ukraine to strike Russian depots inside Russia.
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