More than a fortnight after the start of the offensive on Ukraine, the blitzkrieg theorized by Moscow is not happening. However, an army that attacked on several fronts should not be underestimated. Have we now entered the scenario of a long war?
A long war yes – except for a diplomatic twist – in extremely difficult conditions on the ground, with temperatures approaching minus ten degrees, snow and mud. But in this balance of power which immediately refers to the biblical episode of David against Goliath, with a plethora of invading army and a heroic national mobilization which has been improvised in each city of Ukraine, we must not forget that the Russian soldiers continue to advance and do so on at least six separate fronts.
Kiev, the capital, will it be besieged?
You had to be on the northwestern front at the end of the week, in the residential districts of Irpin or Boucha, two regions on the outskirts of Kiev, to understand the nature of the Russian steamroller around the capital. Despite announcements of ceasefires and humanitarian corridors, hundreds of exhausted families hurried on Friday to escape the fighting, under artillery fire from Russian tanks, already very present in this area, and constant bombing.
In the streets of Irpine, the corpses of civilians are clearly visible, having been unable to be taken away by the Ukrainian territorial defense forces for fear of Russian snipers infiltrating all the neighborhoods. Two weeks after the entry of Moscow’s forces into the country, Russian tanks are less than 15 km from the center of Kiev, which is preparing, almost inevitably, for a long and bloody siege.
Can the Ukrainian army and self-defense forces turn the tide of the offensive?
Despite the heroism that has become almost commonplace in Ukraine and the spirit of sacrifice of a population that has entered headlong into resistance, nearly 200,000 Russians are on the ground. More than two weeks into the war, Ukraine has managed to buy time. But will this time play in his favor, when we already feel the exhaustion, the anguish and the sleepless nights for thousands of improvised soldiers and soldiers?