Russian war of aggression
Zelensky: “Russia has not achieved any successes”
“I am convinced that the USA will not betray us,” says Volodymyr Zelensky. photo
© Efrem Lukatsky/AP/dpa
Stalled financial aid and little progress on the counteroffensive: the situation is not easy for Ukraine at the end of the year. Nevertheless, President Zelensky is confident.
A few hours earlier, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had expressed satisfaction with the course of the war to representatives of his Defense Ministry. The main success he presented was that the West had not succeeded in inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia in Ukraine. The goal had been shattered by the “growing power of our armed forces and arms production,” Putin told military officials and representatives from politics, church and society. In the war against Ukraine, “one can confidently say that the initiative lies with our armed forces,” the Kremlin chief claimed.
Putin: Problems in Russian defense
Putin, who ordered the attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, also once again accused the USA of pushing the conflict in Ukraine to the point of war. He claimed that the West had always only wanted to use the country as an instrument to destroy Russia. At the same time, he admitted that the war against Ukraine had highlighted problems in Russia’s defense. Russia needs more drones, better air defense and a modern satellite communication system. According to the military, immediately before Putin’s appearance, Russian anti-aircraft defense shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Moscow area.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the meeting in Moscow that Ukraine had now lost 383,000 soldiers to death or injury. The information cannot be independently verified. Ukraine, in turn, currently reports the number of losses in the Russian ranks at 348,000 soldiers. This cannot be verified either. Neither warring party has released official figures for its own losses.
Shoigu also said that the number of volunteers should increase by more than 250,000 to around 745,000 contract soldiers in the coming year. The Russians continue to be lured into military service with a comparatively high salary of around 2,000 euros per month.
For Ukraine, in turn, the mobilization of new soldiers is, according to Zelensky, an expensive and politically sensitive question. “The question of mobilization is a very sensitive one,” Zelensky said at his press conference. The army has requested 450,000 new soldiers. Additional mobilization on this scale would require around 500 billion hryvnia (12.2 billion euros). For him it is also important which of the soldiers who have fought so far will then have the right to rest and home leave. A complex plan is being developed for this rotation.
Zelenskyj remains confident
In addition, Zelenskyj was confident that his country would continue to receive support from both the USA and the EU in the future, despite the current halt in Western aid. “I am convinced that the United States will not betray us,” he said. The head of state was also optimistic about an EU financial package worth 50 billion euros that is currently blocked by Hungary: “We will find means to preserve these 50 billion.”
Ukraine is largely dependent on military and financial aid from Western partners to defend itself against the Russian invasion. The USA is considered the most important ally. From Kiev’s perspective, it is therefore extremely worrying that the release of further funds by the US Parliament is currently being blocked by a dispute between Republicans and Democrats.
Meanwhile, Zelensky did not want to confirm predictions that the war in his country would continue for a long time. “I don’t think anyone knows.” The duration of the war depends on many factors, he added – especially on the Ukrainians themselves. “If we do not lose our resilience, we are more likely to end the war.”
Russia’s army currently occupies around a fifth of Ukrainian territory and, including the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed in 2014, has annexed a total of five Ukrainian areas in violation of international law. A Ukrainian counteroffensive aimed at liberating all occupied territories has made only minor gains in terrain this year. But Russian troops have also fallen far short of the Kremlin’s war goals in the past two years and, according to experts, have suffered massive losses.