US intelligence does not believe Ukraine will win the counteroffensive

The Washington Post source added that US intelligence agencies have made serious assessments of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive, most of which believe Kiev will fail to advance south to the Crimean peninsula by the end of the year as it has claimed.

The assessment was made by US intelligence officials in a secret intelligence report on Ukraine’s counter-offensive campaign. According to this report, the Russian army has the advantage in defending and holding the areas they control.

After more than two months of counterattacks, Ukraine has not made much progress on the battlefield. (Photo: RT)

“The US intelligence community assesses that Kiev’s counteroffensive will not reach the key southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol this year, a key target that would allow Ukraine to cut off the land supply route from the Crimean peninsula to the rest of the Donbass region,” the report said.

Previously, Ukrainian officials had repeatedly declared that they would soon take back Crimea, but reaching the peninsula was not easy.

Melitopol is expected to play a key role in Kiev’s plans to retake Crimea as one of the largest urban centers near the Azov coast. Capturing the city could create a logistical base for further attacks on the peninsula.

The Washington Post report echoes recent revelations by American investigative reporter Seymour Hersh that Ukraine “will not win the war.” Hersh based his assessment on analysis by an unnamed US intelligence official.

“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been informed by the CIA that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is unlikely to go as they expect,” Hersh’s source said.

The intelligence official added that Ukraine's counteroffensive campaign looked like a personal show for President Volodymyr Zelensky, but many in Washington still believed it.

Ukraine’s counter-offensive began in early June, with Kiev deploying Western-trained and equipped mechanized brigades to cut off the Russian land bridge linking Donbass with Crimea in Zaporizhzhia province. However, the initial phase of the operation failed.

According to estimates from the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine lost more than 43,000 soldiers and nearly 5,000 pieces of heavy equipment were destroyed.

However, Ukraine still believes that the West has not provided enough support to help Kiev counterattack, and has asked its allies to provide more fighter jets and air defense weapons.

According to Newsweek , Ukraine's leadership is currently divided on whether to continue the campaign or wait and try again in the spring of 2024. Mr. Zelensky will have the final say.

Tra Khanh (Source: russian.rt.com)

Source