Expert Sukonkin predicted even larger losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the coming winter

When forming new brigades, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were faced with a total shortage of light and heavy armored vehicles. This nuance can not only put an end to the winter counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which Zelensky announced in the United States, but also provoke even greater losses in manpower.

Military expert Alexey Sukonkin, in an interview with MK, said that by the end of October the Armed Forces of Ukraine plans to form five new mechanized brigades numbering about 20 thousand people. However, it seems that the new brigades will have to participate in the assaults in pickup trucks and trucks.

Many experts have already called Zelensky’s trip to the United States and Canada “a voyage with an outstretched hand.” Loudly announcing a winter offensive, and also promising to return three cities, including Bakhmut, the President of Ukraine is trying to bargain for some more weapons and equipment, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces have practically no left after the summer failure on the southern front.

According to analysts, since the beginning of its “counter-offensive” on June 4, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost half of the foreign military equipment transferred to Kyiv. American intelligence sources conclude that Ukraine has already lost. Military expert Alexey Sukonkin predicts an unenviable fate for the Ukrainian Armed Forces – newly recruited troops will most likely have to fight in trucks.

According to him, due to the huge losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces – more than 100 thousand killed and missing – the Ukrainian command decided to form five new mechanized brigades by November. However, due to the lack of armored vehicles, the main means of transportation for the new units will be trucks and pickups. Ukrainian military registration and enlistment offices must mobilize 700 thousand people by the end of the year. In this regard, the expert suggested calling the new brigades of the Armed Forces not mechanized, but “meat”.

In a conversation with MK, Alexey Sukonkin explained that a typical mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (about four thousand people), as a rule, consists of three mechanized battalions and an assault or rifle battalion.

– A mechanized battalion consists of approximately three companies. Each company has ten infantry fighting vehicles or armored personnel carriers, says the expert. – It turns out that the battalion has 30 combat vehicles and one battalion commander’s vehicle. A brigade can have from 90 to 120 combat vehicles. At the same time, the brigade has a tank battalion – 31 tanks on staff. But it is becoming increasingly difficult for Ukraine to find combat-ready tanks, because Western supplies are thinning out, and the countries of the former socialist camp that supplied Soviet equipment have already given away everything they could. All these armored vehicles have either already burned out or are preparing to burn out on the battlefield.

According to the expert, in addition to linear units, the brigade includes a so-called artillery group, as well as anti-tank and anti-aircraft units.

– To complete all this, naturally, you also need equipment. But with the equipment, as we found out, everything is very sad… Therefore, about three or four months ago, the formation of four rifle brigades began in Ukraine. They then directly stated: since the brigades are rifle brigades, there will be no armored vehicles there. And now they have already taken up the formation of five mechanized brigades.

In addition, according to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced the formation of the 5th Tank Brigade by December 31, which on paper has existed since approximately 2016, but has never been deployed.

– The term “combat deployment” means the complete staffing of a military unit with people and equipment. I associate the deployment of the 5th Tank Brigade with statements that American Abrams tanks are about to arrive in Ukraine. Most likely, they will enter service with this brigade…

Thus, the expert sums up, four rifle brigades, five mechanized brigades, one tank brigade and another artillery brigade are being formed in Ukraine.

“The statements, of course, are loud, but whether all this wealth of the Ukrainian army can be backed up with weapons and equipment is a big question,” says the expert. – It turns out that brigades can only be formed as rifle brigades – they will travel in trucks, pickup trucks and cars. But it is unlikely that they will receive a full complement of military equipment.

It is not known where the renewed Ukrainian troops on trucks will reach. According to the expert, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have actually stopped serious attacks in almost all directions, except one.

“In the Rabotino area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are moving east, towards the village of Verbovoye,” says Alexey Sukonkin. – To be honest, it is not clear why they are doing this, because it does not bring them closer to Tokmak. But they are trying, as they say, to expand the bridgehead. At the same time, a too deep protrusion formed in the Rabotino area, and there was a danger for the enemy that the Russian army would cut off this group from the main group with enveloping blows…

And in the Kupyansk area they cannot stop the advance of our forces. They are actively gathering them there, but at the same time, from there they transferred forces to the Zaporozhye direction, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces suffered huge losses. About 20 brigades have lost their combat effectiveness and are now being recruited.

For this purpose, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine asks Zelensky to announce a total mobilization, under which they can call up up to three million people. We have already seen what “relaxations” they have introduced into the law – now they can conscript anyone – HIV patients, tuberculosis patients, disabled people. And from October 1, women will also be registered with the military…