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Ukrainian counter-offensive a disaster for Russia: How Putin involuntarily became an arms supplier

2022-10-03T03:14:43.339Z


Ukrainian counter-offensive a disaster for Russia: How Putin involuntarily became an arms supplier Created: 03/10/2022 05:04 By: Michelle Brey Volodymyr Zelenskyj achieves success with a large counter-offensive. Russia apparently had to leave a number of weapons behind - to the advantage of Ukraine. Kharkiv/Munich - Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine does not seem to be over for a long


Ukrainian counter-offensive a disaster for Russia: How Putin involuntarily became an arms supplier

Created: 03/10/2022 05:04

By: Michelle Brey

Volodymyr Zelenskyj achieves success with a large counter-offensive.

Russia apparently had to leave a number of weapons behind - to the advantage of Ukraine.

Kharkiv/Munich - Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine does not seem to be over for a long time.

But the troops are partly moving in the opposite direction in September.

The counter-offensive by Ukrainian troops proved successful.

Strategically important cities and regions could be recaptured and Russian forces driven out.

For example in Kharkiv.

What remains are rubble and ash, completely destroyed cities - and weapons from Russia.

Vladimir Putin has thus unwittingly become an arms supplier to Ukraine.

War in Ukraine: Russian troops surprised by counter-offensive - they fled

Ukrainian soldiers ride on an armored vehicle on a road.

© Leo Correa/dpa

Some in order, others in "obvious panic": This is how the British secret service described the flight of some troops led by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin from areas in the Kharkiv region.

There have been reports of abrupt Russian withdrawals from previously occupied areas before.

The Russian troops are said to have left behind considerable amounts of weapons within the first five days of the counter-offensive, as reported by

Forbes

magazine.

These should include the following weapons:

  • 158 combat vehicles,

  • 106 artillery systems,

  • 86 tanks,

  • nine howitzers,

  • a fighter-bomber.

  • According to Forbes, the weapons are said to be worth at least $700 million.

The Warspotting project also reports on a considerable amount of weapons captured by Ukraine.

Images from public sources are evaluated there - and statistics are created in this way.

For example, since the beginning of the war in February, the project counted 372 captured Russian tanks and quite a lot of artillery pieces.

Putin's troops simply left weapons behind in counter-offensive - "didn't even bother to blow them up"

According to the situation report (September 19) by the think tanks Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington, Ukrainian troops would reinforce their group in Kharkiv with "captured" Russian T-72 tanks.

This suggests that Ukraine's counter-offensive "causing Russian troops to abandon higher-quality and functional equipment" than they did in April after their withdrawal from Kyiv.

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A similar assessment was made by military expert Dr.

András Rácz from the German Society for Foreign Policy.

He told ZDFheute: "Entire ammunition depots were found intact.

The retreating Russian troops didn't even bother to blow them up.” Given the amount of weapons, it looks like “the Russians ran away”.

The benefit for Ukraine is that it is more familiar with the technology of the Russian tanks than with weapon systems from the West, Rácz continued.

"Can't just equalize with Russia": Putin's troops left weapons behind in Ukrainian counteroffensive

"Russia cannot simply compensate for the loss of military material and vehicles," military expert Christian Möllig told the

editorial network Germany (RND)

.

Producing supplies would "take a very long time" - Russia would lack essential components for production.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday (September 20), President Putin called for a significant increase in arms production.

"Armaments industry organizations must ensure that the armed forces receive the necessary weapons, technology and combating means as quickly as possible," he said at a meeting with heads of Russian armaments companies.

At the same time, it is necessary to completely dispense with imports in weapons production.

The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope

View photo gallery

Colonel Markus Reisner makes a slightly different assessment.

The military expert and officer in the Austrian Armed Forces told the RND that Russia was initially still able to “compensate for the losses”.

Moscow provides supplies with "one or two military trains" per week, "bringing war equipment to the front".

Nevertheless, the captured weapons always seem to be a significant support in the fight against the Russian troops for the Ukraine.

(mbr with dpa)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-10-03

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