U.S. Military Officials See The Looming Ground Battle In East Ukraine To Be Crucial In The Next Phase Of The War

Washington Post: Looming ground battle is crucial phase in Ukraine, U.S. officials say. 

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — U.S. military officials assess that a crucial, and perhaps decisive, phase of the Ukraine war is shaping up in the eastern part of the country, where Russian troops may surround Ukrainian forces in hopes of pummeling them in an epic, long-distance ground battle reminiscent of the last century. 

New U.S. shipments of heavy artillery and counter-artillery radar, tactical drones, armored vehicles and other equipment are being rushed to Ukraine before tens of thousands of troops, amounting to up to half of the Ukrainian army, are caught in what is known as a “double envelopment” maneuver that would bring them under simultaneous attack from two sides. 

The Ukrainians are located in a north-south crescent between deep Russian lines in the southeastern Donbas region, and a potential pincer movement to their west.  

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WNU Editor: According to reports Russian and DPR forces are using massive and continuous artillery and rocket attacks to soften up targets before moving forward. This type of warfare is slow and brutal, but very effective, and even the AFP is admitting it is impacting Ukrainian morale .... On the eastern front, Ukraine struggles to keep up morale (France 24). 

On a personal note. My father commanded a Soviet artillery group during the Second World War. He told me his responsibility during the war was to launch massive artillery and rocket bombardments on specific targets so that when armor and infantry units finally moved in the enemy was already disorganized or wiped out. According to my dad this type of warfare always took a a long time, but in the end the enemy always disintegrated if they could not respond in kind. 

I see this type of warfare now happening in the Donbas. That is why I believe the next few weeks are going to be critical in this war. Half of the Ukrainian army is deployed in this conflict zone. If their lines collapse I can easily see this becoming a military disaster for Zelensky's government and his Western allies.