A cold shower for the West. General Syrsky shocked about the war in Ukraine: the numbers are staggering
25 July 2024 20:52
EXCLUSIVE
By the end of 2024, the Russian army will have deployed almost 700,000 soldiers to Ukraine, and the number of Russian military equipment is gradually increasing. Will Ukraine be able to hold out until the end of the year in defence and what is the price of deterring the enemy now?
- Thenumber of Russian soldiers since the beginning of the great invasion has increased from 100,000 to 520,000. By the end of 2024, there will be 690,000
- The number ofRussian tanks has doubled – from 1700 to 3500, artillery systems have tripled, and armoured personnel carriers have increased from 4500 to 8900 units.
- The ratio of military equipment is 1:2 or 1:3 in favour of the Russians
- The length of the front line is 3700 km. At the same time, active hostilities are taking place on a 977 km stretch, which is twice the length of the border between Germany and France.
- If Russian troops make another assault in the south of Zaporizhzhia region, we can give them a good answer
In January 2024, the President of Ukraine said in an interview that we have a million-strong army, namely 880,000 people. However, it is not known from open sources how many Ukrainian soldiers are currently confronting Russia at the front. We can only assume that the number of troops on the contact line is many times less. And it certainly does not reach the half a million that the enemy has.
How is the Ukrainian army holding up at the front?
Retired Lieutenant General and former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ihor Romanenko explains the phenomenon of the Ukrainian army by its well-organised defence. This includes strong fortifications and mines.
“The entire defence system is classically designed, just like the Russians built in 2023 in the Zaporizhzhia sector. When we managed to take only the first line. And now we are also organising this kind of defence,” Ihor Romanenko
Another factor in our resilience is our defence forces. The Ukrainian military, who have been on the frontline from the very beginning, are exhausted but experienced. And it is their experience, combined with the defence system, and the improvement of the situation with ammunition from time to time, that allows us to hold on today, the retired lieutenant general emphasises.
Quantity does not mean quality
The number of Russian military personnel is indeed growing, but with the growth of quantity does not come quality. Yevgeny Tykhyi, an officer of the Defence Forces, tells
“What we had at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and the Russian army we have now are two different armies. Back then it was a professional army, and now it is a hastily trained army, in many places unmotivated. This applies to both soldiers and officers.” – Yevhen Tykhyi
Yes, we can see that the Russians are increasing their resources, including through production. However, this is not enough to compensate for the losses at the front, says officer Yevhen Tykhyi. He says that their reserves, army and equipment are replenished and their growth is achieved by removing and storing them from warehouses.
“The Russians’ equipment is outdated, we see almost T-55s going to war. The Russians also tried to buy tanks from the Republic of Sudan. And it is known that exported equipment is usually worse than that made for the state order,” Yevhen Tykhyi
At the same time, the Russians are constantly trying to make revolutionary, in their opinion, “breakthroughs” such as the use of buggies, electric cars, golf carts, motorcycles during an attack. This is great in the rear for logistics and administrative tasks, but it is not suitable for an assault, says Yevhen Tykhyi.
“The use of such, to put it mildly, controversial things is an indicator of the problems the Russians have. And a very important factor in warfare is the ability to fight not with whom, but with what. We see that the enemy’s losses are increasing in terms of personnel because they have nothing to fight with. That is why they are trying to compensate for the number of equipment with the number of personnel.” – Yevhen Tykhyi
When the tide may turn at the front
Retired Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko notes that there is currently no breakthrough in the supply of Western weapons. Everything is at the same level. Moreover, we have not yet been able to equip our brigades fighting on the contact line. Therefore, we are in a situation where the enemy is advancing.
“Given the fact that the work in all areas is rather slow, we will be able to stabilise the situation only in autumn. That is, to stop the enemy’s advance. And if we continue to build up our efforts and are able to form reserves, then by the end of the year we can hope to carry out de-occupation actions through counter-offensive operations,” Ihor Romanenko said
That is why Syrskyi’s message to our Western partners to step up their efforts in an interview with The Guardian is loud and clear, concludes retired Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko.
Moreover, the strong words of Commander-in-Chief Syrsky, who assured us that we will win and, most importantly, knows how to do it, inspire additional confidence in victory.
Author – Anastasia Fedor
