The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Ukraine offensive like “tentacles”: is the “iron general” letting Putin's army despair?

2022-10-05T13:32:34.217Z


Ukraine offensive like “tentacles”: is the “iron general” letting Putin's army despair? Created: 05/10/2022 15:28 By: Jens Kiffmeier Cherson, Kharkov, Lyman: The Ukrainian army is currently pushing back the Russian offensive. General Valerij Saluschnyj is considered the head of the success. Who is he? Kyiv – One village after the other falls back to Kyiv in the Ukraine war: The Ukrainian army


Ukraine offensive like “tentacles”: is the “iron general” letting Putin's army despair?

Created: 05/10/2022 15:28

By: Jens Kiffmeier

Cherson, Kharkov, Lyman: The Ukrainian army is currently pushing back the Russian offensive.

General Valerij Saluschnyj is considered the head of the success.

Who is he?

Kyiv – One village after the other falls back to Kyiv in the Ukraine war: The Ukrainian army is currently pushing back the Russian invaders in large parts of the Donbass with tremendous progress.

After successes in the regions around Cherson and Kharkov, the counter-offensive also made progress around Lyman on Wednesday.

One person in particular is considered to be the military head of the operations: Valery Saluschnyj.

The Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine has already achieved heroic status in his country.

But who is he, whom some are already calling the “Iron General”?

And how does his strategy work on the front lines against a supposedly overpowering opponent?

Ukraine war: Russia's offensive is currently faltering - also because of General Valery Saluschnyj

Valery Zalushny has been serving in the Ukrainian army for 24 years.

But the 49-year-old has only been in command since July 2021, a few months before the start of the Ukraine war - and apparently with success.

Because the “Iron General” has repeatedly forced Russian President Vladimir Putin to change his war goals.

After the unsuccessful storming of Kyiv, Russian troops concentrated on conquering and annexing eastern Ukraine.

But after losing ground, Ukraine launched its counteroffensive and is now reclaiming large tracts of land while Putin's troops fight to the rear.

Cherson, Kharkov, Lyman or Svatove: Map shows Ukraine's advance in the war against Russia

In the night of Wednesday, October 5 alone, more than 20 villages near Lyman are said to have been liberated.

According to British intelligence, units in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv are said to have penetrated up to 20 kilometers behind the Oskil River - and thus behind the Russian defense lines.

The Ukrainian army is thus approaching the city of Svatowe, which is an important transport hub for Russia.

War in Ukraine: In addition to German rocket launchers and tanks, Saluschnyj's tactics help in the offensive

Up until a few months ago, few military observers believed this advance to be possible.

But the supply of Western precision weapons systems has put Ukraine in a new position.

In particular, German rocket launchers and the Gepard tank are considered game changers.

But that is only part of the truth.

Because there is probably also tactical skill and forward planning Saluschnyjs.

also read

Putin soldiers left 'in the woods'?

Ukraine minister reports chaos

Russian military train towards Ukraine raises nuclear fears – report on secret NATO warning

Ukraine War: General Valery Saluschnyj and Ukrainian army push back Russian offensive.

© Yuliia Ovsiannikova/imago

Shortly after taking office as the new commander-in-chief, Zalushnyj had warned of the possibility of a Russian attack in the summer of 2021 - well ahead of many others.

At the same time, he prescribed a new way of thinking for his army: According to the

editorial network Germany

(RND), the general said in his inaugural speech that things had to be done like NATO.

In the Ukraine war, the "Iron General" acts with small units on the Russian offensive

Unlike Russia, with its Soviet tradition, Ukraine operates with small, mobile units that have a great deal of decision-making power of their own in the field.

Zalushnyj ensured that the commanders at the front decide for themselves when to attack and when to retreat.

While Putin has criminalized giving up positions, Ukraine has done the opposite.

The safety of the soldiers has higher priority.

The smaller units are apparently effective.

"The Ukrainian soldiers wriggle past our defense lines like tentacles and then strangle us from all sides," a Russian military blogger complained, according to the

image

in the news service "Telegram".

As the paper reports, the special troops cross rough terrain and strike where they are not expected.

They are supplied with the relevant information by Western secret services.

As the

Süddeutsche Zeitung

recently reported, Salushnyj is in daily contact with the US General Staff.

Valeriy Saluschnyj: Ukraine's chief of staff has been working on the connection to NATO for years

The “Iron General” has been promoting the western ties of the Ukrainian military not just for a few months.

As head of combat training, he has been vehemently responsible for the training of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in NATO training camps since 2015.

For example, Zalushnyj, who speaks fluent English himself, is said to have promoted training on Western weapons and tactics through joint exercises with British and US units for years.

Education and private matters – who is Valery Saluschnyj?

Valery Saluschnyj comes from a military family.

His father was also a soldier.

Accordingly, his path was mapped out: Saluschnyj completed his training in Odessa and studied at the military academy there.

He has served in the army for 24 years.

He has been in command at the front in the Ukraine war since 2014 and has been Commander-in-Chief since July 2021.

Little is known privately, only that he is married and has two daughters.

The older one is also in the army.

The younger is studying medicine.

For a long time Salushnyj worked in secret.

But since the outbreak of war and at the latest since the start of the counter-offensive, the 49-year-old has been a folk hero in his country.

Word has gotten as far away as Washington.

Zalushny is "the military head his country needed," Mark Milley, chairman of the US Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently said, according to

RND

.

His deeds “will go down in history”.

When will the Ukraine war be over?

Zalushny does not expect the end before 2023

But Saluschnyj does not seem to be infected by the cheering choirs.

While experts consider an early end of the war to be quite possible and certify that things are looking bad for the Russians at the moment, the general urges caution.

He is certain that the war is not over yet and will continue in 2023.

In the confrontation with Russia, as the

SZ

recently described it in a portrait, he expects a fight that will last for years.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-10-05

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.