Amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a Ukrainian artillery brigade commander on the Donbass frontline in the country's east recently told the Financial Times that Kiev's reallocation of military resources north, particularly toward Russia's Kursk region, has enabled Russian forces to advance more rapidly in the Donetsk region.
This strategic decision, while necessary for certain offensive operations, has had an impact on Ukraine’s frontline defenses. According to the commander, his unit is now forced to carefully calculate the ammunition used for their guns – a situation that occurred before the US Congress approved new military aid to Kiev after months of delays.
This time, the ammunition shortage that hit Kiev was partly due to the reallocation of resources to its campaign in the Kursk region, leaving Ukrainian forces in the east ill-equipped to counter Russian attacks.
It has been reported that even before the Kursk operation began, the defenses in the Donetsk region were showing signs of weakness. Since then, Russian forces have continued to break through Ukrainian defenses, seizing villages and towns, bringing Moscow closer to its goal of complete control over Donbass.
Ukrainian soldiers move on tanks on a road in the Sumy region, bordering Russia's Kursk region, August 2024. Photo: The Guardian
The Kursk operation, which involved the mobilization of more than 10,000 Ukrainian troops, including elite troops and mechanized brigades, required the redeployment of forces from the eastern front. This redeployment included units originally intended to bolster defenses and support troops on the Donetsk and Kharkiv fronts.
The new situation left the remaining troops in these areas without sufficient reinforcements and regular rotations, increasing fatigue and reducing the effectiveness of soldiers on the battlefield.
The loss of military equipment in the Kursk operation is also believed to have been significant for Ukraine, with 51 pieces of equipment destroyed, including vehicles provided by Germany and the United States. By comparison, Russia is believed to have lost 27 pieces of military equipment.
In the latest developments on the ground, Ukraine said on August 21 that it had destroyed Russian pontoon bridges with US-made HIMARS missiles to protect its frontline in the Kursk operation. Video posted by Ukrainian special forces showed attacks on several pontoon bridges in the Kursk region, where Russia reported that Ukraine had destroyed at least three fixed bridges across the Seym River as the enemy attempted to consolidate its new positions.
Additional aid
Against this backdrop, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky late on August 18 called on Western allies to speed up “delivery of supplies” to Ukrainian soldiers. “There are no holidays in war,” he said.
On August 19-20, three European countries actually announced new aid packages for Ukraine. It seems that Kiev's call for help has been answered.
Specifically, on August 19, the Danish government announced a new military aid program worth 115 million USD for Ukraine. This program aims to address the short-term and long-term defense needs of the Eastern European country. The money will be used to purchase new military equipment from the Ukrainian defense industry and international partners.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen announced that Copenhagen is taking a new step with the 20th military aid package, which includes much-needed military equipment to make a difference in the conflict.
Also on August 19, German government spokesman Wolfgang Buchner announced that Berlin will provide Kiev with four additional IRIS-T air defense systems with various ranges by the end of this year.
In addition to the IRIS-T systems, Germany will also supply 10 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, 16 self-propelled howitzers, 10 Leopard main battle tanks, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) and thousands of artillery shells and tank ammunition.
Mr. Buchner also mentioned that by 2025, Germany will supply 20 self-propelled howitzers, 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 37 Leopard main battle tanks, 5 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, 6 additional IRIS-T systems and thousands of additional artillery shells and ammunition.
A day later, on August 20, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced that the Czech Republic would use part of the revenue from Russian assets frozen in the EU to purchase large-caliber ammunition for Kiev.
Profit generated
European countries hold about two-thirds of Russia's $300 billion in foreign exchange reserves frozen since Moscow launched its military campaign in Ukraine 30 months ago.
While hesitant to seize the assets outright, the EU has drawn up a plan to use the profits from the assets to fund Ukraine's reconstruction and defense needs.
Ukrainian soldiers fire towards Russian troops on the front line, near the town of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, August 17, 2024. Photo: Al Arabiya
In June, EU governments agreed to use $1.5 billion in profits from the assets to buy weapons and pay for other assistance to Ukraine. The Czech Defense Ministry said on August 20 that part of that money would be used for an effort it is leading to buy artillery shells for Ukraine from around the world, funded by Western partners.
"Thanks to the proceeds from frozen Russian funds, released by the European Union (EU), we will be able to supply hundreds of thousands of large-caliber ammunition to Ukraine," said Minister Černochová.
The Czech Defense Ministry did not provide further details, but said the deliveries would be made "in the coming months", and would therefore soon have an impact on the battlefield situation.
Last month, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said the Central European country and Ukraine's "hardline" ally would lead an initiative to deliver around 100,000 rounds of ammunition to Kiev between July and August, with deliveries expected to accelerate in September and beyond.
There was no immediate reaction from Moscow to the Czech Republic's latest announcement about using profits from Russian assets to buy weapons for Ukraine.
But in July, the Kremlin criticized plans to use interest earned on frozen Russian assets to fund military aid to Ukraine, and said it would take legal action against anyone involved in the decision.
Minh Duc (According to Army Recognition, Washington Examiner, SwissInfo, The Guardian)
Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/ukraine-keu-goi-tro-giup-3-quoc-gia-chau-au-dong-loat-huong-ung-2042408221112202.htm
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