By Svitlana Vlasova, Yulia Kesaieva and Victoria Butenko, CNN
Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — For many Ukrainians, the Ukrainian military leader’s recent grim assessment of the battlefield came as no surprise. That’s what they heard in conversations with friends, noticed on social media, and experienced firsthand on the battlefield. front lines as Russia’s war against its country drags on.
The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny, said this week in an interview with The Economist magazine that “there probably won’t be a deep and beautiful breakthrough” and that every passing day provides the Russians with an advantage. .
Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia has stalled as the harsh winter looms. Russia still occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine and the front lines are often static as both sides continue to recruit soldiers.
Zaluzhny warned that Russia would “maintain superiority in weapons, equipment, missiles and ammunition for an abundant period of time” and that Ukraine needed “new and cutting-edge approaches. “
Ukraine introduced a counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion in June but has failed to find the momentum needed to turn the tide of the war in Kyiv’s favor.
On Saturday, Igor Zhovka, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, criticized Zaluzhny for his comments.
“I’m sure everything has been thoroughly read, written down and drawn” from the Russians, he said, adding that he had received calls from his counterparts in partner countries “panicking” asking if the war was at a stalemate. “Is this the effect we were looking for in achieving with this article?” Zhovka said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disagreed with Zaluzhny’s assessment. “It’s a dead end. Again, I must emphasize this. We’ve talked about this before. It’s some kind of news,” he said at a news conference with European Commission President Ursula von. der Leyen on Saturday.
Zaluzhny’s direct view presented a rare alternative to the messages of hope that had become commonplace from Ukrainian political leaders. Almost every night, Zelensky calls on the public to continue with the country’s possible victory.
But for many Ukrainians, that goal is impossible to achieve for now.
CNN spoke to Ukrainians about the possibility of a protracted war and the hope they still have as the standoff reaches what Zaluzhny called a “stalemate. “
Vitalii Shevchuk’s relatives fled to safety, but their home was destroyed by Russian occupation in the town of Hostomel, near Kyiv, at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion last year. Those days were filled with terror, he says. The scenario would possibly be greater now, but the fact about the state of war “has to be accepted, whatever it is,” he told CNN.
“There seem to be two authenticities: one is the positive one broadcast through the national telethon,” Shevchuk said, referring to the only official news program broadcast jointly through several Ukrainian primary TV channels. “The other is about genuine authenticity. “
Shevchuk said that when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014 and occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk region that year, the fighting was a long way off for many Ukrainians. But now, even as the war evolves into what Zaluzhny described as a “war of position,” Shevchuk is sure that this will remain in everyone’s mind.
“I am in Ukraine’s victory, but we must take into account the objective reality. . . As for Zelensky’s positive predictions, they were logical. Because if we all walked around with our heads down, saying it’s all wrong, it’s all wrong, then “This would eventually happen,” he said. “Zelensky’s role was to boost morale, and if that spirit wasn’t there, what would other people have held on to?
Reading Zaluzhny’s reflections on the state of the battle, the deputy commander of an artillery unit near Bakhmut did not feel the need to convey those words to the infantrymen serving under him. It’s all very “obvious,” said the deputy commander, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media without permission.
“Wherever we are, we feel the genius of the Russians, whether it’s reconnaissance or firepower. They have an enormous amount of artillery weapons. They’re inferior in accuracy, that’s a fact, but they’re impressive in the number of projectiles. Especially lately the difference is noticeable, as we receive less and less ammunition,” he said.
Zaluzhny said in an interview with The Economist that the strategy of dealing a heavy blow to Russian troops to bring Moscow to the negotiating table would possibly have failed. “That’s my mistake,” he said. Russia has lost at least 150,000 dead. In any other country, such losses would have ended the war. “
The subcomandante admired Zaluzhny’s frankness.
The general “dared to say he was wrong. That’s worth a lot. It takes courage to admit that the plan has failed,” he said. “(The Russians) don’t pay attention to the losses and keep advancing. “
“In my opinion, Zelensky is a man of the army. And from his point of view, he did everything right. Every day, in his speeches, he paid attention to the most complicated frontline spaces and the brigades that did the hardest work. To some extent, this boosted the morale of the soldiers.
Lyuba Shipovich, director of the Dignitas Fund, a base that aims to provide the Ukrainian military with drones, tactical drugs and communication devices, spends her days searching for technological answers that will give infantrymen an advantage on the front line.
“We have fewer people than our enemies and we give them more price. People deserve to be removed from the front line and replaced by intelligence and reconnaissance drones, automated strike systems, self-destructing drones and bombers,” he told CNN. “(The staff) deserve to be on the front lines, because for us human life is much more precious in each and every sense of the word.
“That’s why we want Western partners to provide us not only with weapons, but also with the generation needed to do so,” he said.
In an interview with TIME, Zelensky said that “no one believes in our victory like I do. No one,” adding that instilling those ideals in Ukraine’s allies “requires all your power, your energy. “
According to the latest statistics, between 5. 6 and 6. 7 million Ukrainians who fled the country because of the war remain abroad. For them, the evolution of the battlefield and the likelihood of the end of the war are key points when deciding whether to return. home.
Iryna Avramets, a 34-year-old Kyiv resident, was pregnant with her first child when the war broke out. She stayed in Ukraine to give birth to her daughter, but soon after she left for Spain. The stalemate in which the war is unfolding, with no transparent end results in sight, makes it less likely that it will return anytime soon.
“On the one hand, it is foreseeable that the war will be prolonged, even if it is difficult to admit it,” Irina said. “We listen, we analyze, and we realize that we won’t be going home anytime soon. “
Iryna says it’s smart to know the objective picture Zaluzhny describes, but it’s equally vital to remain optimistic. She believes Zelensky is helping Ukrainians achieve just that.
“Zelensky, for his part, is doing his best to give confidence to others so that we don’t give up,” Iryna said.
Oksana Yarosh of Kharkiv said the Ukrainian president has been “watering down” the scenario for too long. “The lack of bad news, which is an everyday reality, is frightening,” he told CNN.
Many issues similar to the mobilization and formation of reserves in Ukraine are simply not discussed publicly, he said. With issues being “blatantly ignored,” fewer and fewer people are willing to interact and fight.
“I perceive that it is to lessen panic among Ukrainian civilians, but unfortunately it contributes to diverting attention and complacency,” he said.
Kyiv-based Natalia Kovalchuk appreciates the Ukrainian president’s keeping his spirits up amid the turmoil.
“The positive sentiment that Zelensky has given to other people is necessary,” he told CNN. “But it’s very unfortunate that a lot of expectations have been generated through this counteroffensive. People were so excited that we were about to give back Crimea, that we were about to expel the Russians from our country, but that didn’t happen.
“I think a lot of other people understood that a lot of their hopes were unrealistic, but they were afraid to admit that this war was going to be a long-term war. “
CNN’s Gul Tuysuz contributed to this report.
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