Heavy for Ukraine’s soldiers: “Hard and cold”

Fatigue. Cold. Frustration. Ukraine enters its second winter of war and more and more soldiers testify to a gloomy view of life.

The conduct of the war is slow, in several places the positions on the battlefield are locked and among the world’s leaders support for Ukraine is fading.

Russia currently controls over a fifth of Ukraine’s territory. After 22 months of war, the conflict is at a stalemate along large parts of the 1,000 kilometer front line.

During the first winter, the soldiers kept their spirits reasonably high. But now the open frustration is growing, interviews conducted by the news agency AP show.

– It is harder and colder. It’s not just me who feels this way, many other units share the same feeling, says a soldier who goes by the name Boxer.

Support is stopped

There are several reasons for the depression. The fact that the support from the USA is faltering and the promised support from the EU is not forthcoming are strong contributing factors.

– Things have gone badly for the Ukrainians on the battlefield during the year and they know that the Russians’ tactics are improving. And then they see what is happening in the US Congress and in the EU, notes Richard Barrons, former British general and defense expert.

The US has already given over $111 billion in aid to Ukraine. Now President Joe Biden is trying to push through additional support of $60 billion. But a number of Republican congressmen have sat in the crosshairs and are blocking the aid. And a vote on the issue is delayed until late January at the earliest.

The EU has also failed in the negotiations for financial support of 50 billion euros. The idea is now that the issue will be decided at an extraordinary summit in February.

In the corridors of power

The fatigue and frustration on the battlefield has also reached the corridors of power in Kiev.

Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi questioned the country’s Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny’s assessment that the war has reached a stalemate.

Criticism has also been directed at Zelenskyj repeatedly, including from Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klytchko who believes that Zelenskyj has too much power.

The fussy atmosphere spills over into other areas of the military. Among other things, blame is directed at the ineffective bureaucratic system, which is considered to slow down the Ukrainians’ fighting ability.

In the area of ​​Zaporizhzhya, for example, drones have become an important tool in the war. But soldiers complain that the military has been too slow to train drone pilots.

– It took over seven months to get the necessary papers from several government agencies to train 75 men. We wasted time on nothing, says soldier Konstatin Denisov.

Denisov also claims that several units are undermanned and that repairs to drones are delayed, halting Ukrainian efforts on the battlefield.

“Not possible” free Bachmut

However, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov does not share the picture that there is a lack of manpower. His line is that there are enough soldiers and weapons for the next phase of the war.

– We are capable and have the opportunity to defend our people and we will do that, he tells AP.

After Ukraine’s disputed counter-offensive earlier this year, Russia now has some momentum. Defense analysts predict that the Russian army will try to penetrate deeper into eastern Ukraine during the winter. This is so that President Vladimir Putin can show a tailwind ahead of next year’s presidential election.

For Ukraine, the focus will rather be on not losing ground in the next few months, according to soldiers AP spoke to.

– Winter’s big goal is to lose as few people as possible. We must be clear, it will not be possible to liberate Donetsk or Bachmut because the opponents are too many, says a soldier who calls himself Parker.