NY Times: Ukranian Commanders are Buoyed to be on the Offensive

[Tomconroy]

In 18 months of war, Ukrainian land has mostly changed hands in sudden bursts, with Russia snatching a mass of territory at the start and Ukraine recapturing chunks in dramatic counterattacks. Now 10 weeks into its most ambitious counteroffensive, with heavy casualties and equipment losses, questions have been growing about whether Ukraine can punch through Russian lines.

Despite grueling fighting, Ukrainian forces along much of the 600-mile front are moving forward, and commanders and veteran soldiers say they are in better shape now than six or 12 months ago.

“If a year ago we were conducting defensive operations and we had the task of holding back the enemy, now we have the ability to attack,” Col. Dmytro Lysiuk, commander of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, said in an interview in his frontline bunker last week.

Ukrainian officers are almost invariably upbeat in interviews. Even if the counteroffensive has yielded only mixed results so far, with Ukrainian troops slowed by dense Russian minefields and sustained firepower, they describe previous periods as being tougher than this one.

No paywall:

On the Front Line, Ukrainian Commanders Are Buoyed to Be on the Offensive https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/20/world/europe/ukraine-counteroffensive-commanders-fighters.html?unlocked_article_code=Z8Psc3ZZ7j5emUsOvmxH120dhw5HL9d4eM2kRkeRwJSri2NjHN9GhdU7KHOAjGQLeBf_eWk_NQArHHpa9vr8wyR1fO1m2zJojVgIQzeqOAiY0fSoBWpzejKWQJOk5NFopRxCXzngOkuyHROUh1u4UugSLTZthvqjUJVit8mqguO4Fe6wrB9Kj5qztI6NJA16oPSV7p6CzYALXimsRlpKBG8Eh4Rka0R3VAQ6PQaW8DnbUywuXuzgYABAof1kZFbxQWk9NROPra5Cfbu5F4tAc5ZaoZKhbhXiGfcOPvDh-jB64Xk2N2V74aI9bOmpuxUVvFOW-XDtuPJQEMpDsnwDpicILkKGsHRaR7kkbZR4OIZES3EOJl0VJ9301Q&smid=nytcore-android-share

[Deuxcents]

1. They needed to be on the offensive long ago

And finally, they now have some equipment to fight the good fight more fiercely.
Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦

[Beetwasher.]

2. F16's Incoming!