The idea of a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the spring to try to break the stalemate in the 14-month war and let Kiev regain lost ground has been talked about for months. The wait may be almost over, but according to one of the classified documents exposed in the information leak, the origin of which is still under investigation, Washington does not believe the counter-offensive will bring much profit to Ukraine.
The Ukrainians say they have formed assault brigades and stockpiled ammunition to attack, while doing everything they can to keep the Russians fighting in the Bakhmut zone – hoping to tire them out and prevent them from invading other regions can strengthen. However, robust Russian defenses and “persistent Ukrainian deficiencies in training and ammunition reserves are likely to jeopardize any progress and increase casualties during the offensive”, is stated in the US Secret Service document cited by the newspaper The Washington Post.
The document in question is marked “top secret” and dated February, which seems to contradict public statements by the US government about the vitality of the Ukrainian armed forces. According to the document, Kiev can only hope for “modest territorial gains”. The Pentagon does not acknowledge the authenticity of the documents and says they are tampered with. Still, he admits the flight poses a “very serious” risk to national security.
The adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhailo Podolyak, on Tuesday appealed to the Allies to forget about leaking information and to step up the supply of weapons. “We need less thinking about escapes and more long-range weapons to end the war properly and allow the Russian Federation to face reality.” wrote on Twitter.
However, the revelations continue to cause problems, not just for the US. South Korea was involved because of concerns expressed by some of its officials that weapons and ammunition manufactured in the country could end up in Ukraine, in violation of rules that prohibit the sale of arms to countries at war.
In a telephone conversation, South Korean Defense Secretary Lee Jong-sup and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin indicated that “a significant number of documents in question have been fabricated.” The US has tried to deal with the aftermath of the revelations and has not wanted to question its allies.
Another paper cited by the Washington Post, claims that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the production of 40,000 missiles to be sold to Russia, asking that the project be kept secret “to avoid problems with the West”. The US denies this information, claiming that “there is no indication that such a project has been carried out,” according to a senior US government official. “Egypt is a close partner and we have regular discussions with its leaders on a wide range of regional and global issues,” said the same source.
On the ground, Russia this Tuesday bombed several locations along the front in eastern Ukraine, with a Ukrainian commander accusing Moscow of a “scorched earth” policy – particularly in Bakhmut. The leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigojin, claimed that his forces already controlled more than 80% of the Ukrainian city after Russian regular troops reinforced the flanks of the partial siege.
Source: DN
