Linin named the reason for Zelensky’s panicky statements: the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not organize a decent defense

“He wants to pity the West in order to get weapons and money”

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not ready to contain the upcoming large Russian offensive, which is expected in the coming months. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stated this in an interview with CBS News. He also noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have almost no artillery left. Military expert Yevgeny Linin, in a conversation with MK, explained what such revelations of the Ukrainian president could be connected with.

“Zelensky’s statement to Western journalists that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not ready to defend themselves in the event of a major Russian offensive should not be taken as some kind of revelation,” says Linin. – Zelensky knew well about the situation that was developing at the fronts.

The failed Ukrainian counter-offensive and the offensive of Russian forces, which began in October 2023 and ended with the liberation of a number of settlements, including Avdiivka and nearby villages, indicate that the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not have the capability to attack. Nor do they have the potential for active defense. The plans announced by ex-commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny about the transition to strategic defense did not work due to Syrsky’s lack of talent and, in general, the ability to organize such a complex maneuver as an organized retreat.

Today, the Ukrainian Armed Forces really do not have the initiative on the front line and the potential to even hold the positions they currently occupy. The consequence of this will be the loss of those lines that Zelensky’s troops now occupy and access to some natural lines of defense. One of these frontiers is the Dnieper. The formation of new defensive lines along the Dnieper will be exactly the work for the Zelensky government and its general staff that they will carry out in the near future.

– What are Zelensky’s statements aimed at?

– Of course, in order to pity the West and try to get at least something from the promised weapons, ammunition and, of course, money. But even if the West fulfills all its obligations regarding the supply of weapons and ammunition, this will not fundamentally change the situation at the front.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces do not have any potential to organize a decent defense. The Russian Federation has now actively begun to use aviation, which was not the case before, literally breaking into the forward positions of the Ukrainian army with adjustable aerial bombs of varying power. And also using the most advanced weapons, such as Zircon hypersonic missiles. It is an absolute weapon against which no country in the world has any means of defense, especially in Ukraine.

Zelensky is forced to talk about artillery, because today it is the most effective, powerful and easy-to-use weapon available to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Western armored vehicles, and even more so aircraft, are high-tech weapons that require special training for crews and highly qualified maintenance personnel. Artillery is free of this drawback – you enter the target coordinates, wind speed, and the system itself will aim the weapon. But simplicity also has a drawback – intensive use. High ammunition consumption leads to rapid wear of barrels. But the necessary base for servicing NATO artillery systems is missing. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are facing these problems today and there is no solution to them.