Ukraine short of skilled troops and munitions as losses, pessimism grow © Alice Martins for The Washington Post
Washington Post: Ukraine short of skilled troops and munitions as losses, pessimism grow
DNIPROPETROVSK REGION, Ukraine — The quality of Ukraine’s military force, once considered a substantial advantage over Russia, has been degraded by a year of casualties that have taken many of the most experienced fighters off the battlefield, leading some Ukrainian officials to question Kyiv’s readiness to mount a much-anticipated spring offensive.
U.S. and European officials have estimated that as many as 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the start of Russia’s invasion early last year, compared with about 200,000 on the Russian side, which has a much larger military and roughly triple the population from which to draw conscripts.
Ukraine keeps its running casualty numbers secret, even from its staunchest Western supporters. Statistics aside, an influx of inexperienced draftees, brought in to plug the losses, has changed the profile of the Ukrainian force, which is also suffering from basic shortages of ammunition, including artillery shells and mortar bombs, according to military personnel in the field.
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WNU Editor: Another pessimistic view of the war from a major US main stream publication. Must be a trend.
