Ukraine to continue liberating its territories in winter, says US general
A billboard with the inscription "Relatives, you are free" in liberated Kupyansk, October 18 (Photo:REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne)
Ukrainian forces will continue fighting in winter to recapture territories, while it will be much more difficult for Russia to wage war than for Ukraine, retired U.S. Army General and former CIA Director David Petraeus said at the Kyiv Security Forum on Oct. 19.
Petraeus, who joined the forum online, said during a discussion that Ukrainian troops will unlikely slow down their counter-offensive in winter since the Russians’ logistics are very weak, the bridges are destroyed, as well as the railway tracks, as on the Kerch Strait Bridge.
He emphasized the Russians have a lot of problems, namely they lack not only weapons, but also warm clothes.
The U.S. general also noted that the Russian army’s morale of is very low, and they do not understand what they are fighting for. These are mostly representatives of national minorities who were sent to the contact line, he said.
According to Petraeus, the speed of the Ukrainian counter-offensive will depend, in particular, on how the campaign is planned and executed.
Earlier, the former commander of U.S. forces in Europe, retired General Ben Hodges, said invading Russian troops would find winter conditions in Ukraine much harder to cope with than Ukraine’s soldiers.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also believes Ukrainian forces are expected to battle through harsh winter conditions to try to recapture territory from Russia.
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