If Ukraine is given the weapons it needs, a counteroffensive can be mounted by end of summer – Ukrainian general

DENYS KARLOVSKYI – WEDNESDAY, 15 JUNE 2022, 20:50

Dmytro Marchenko, General Mayor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in charge of the defence of Mykolaiv, forecasts that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to launch a successful counteroffensive and liberate territories occupied by Russia by the end of July if Ukraine receives all of the military equipment and weapons that it needs.

Source: Marchenko in an interview for Radio Svoboda/Krym.Realii [Radio Liberty/Crimea.Reality - ed.]

Quote from Marchenko: "I believe myself to be a realist. I make forecasts based on the circumstances and on what’s known. Maybe what I know is not enough to make these forecasts.

That this will not be over soon is a fact. But then again: if we are given all the weapons that we need, the counteroffensive might be over by the end of the summer.

If we lose time, allow them to reinforce their defences, then yes, it will take a bit longer. With this…I never wanted to make predictions. I never thought we would be able to repel the number of troops that we repelled in Mykolaiv. To be honest, I fully believed that we would end up in a cauldron [a ‘cauldron’ or a ‘pocket’ is a military term denoting a very large, strategic-level concentration of trapped forces that have been isolated by opposing forces from their logistical base and other friendly forces - ed.] and would have to fight there, but you can see for yourselves that we have managed to escape that fate."

Details: General Marchenko said that negotiations with Russia have reached a point of no return due to the war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers in Ukraine. He believes that Ukraine has a unique chance to defend its independence and secure its future as a free state.

Consequently, he rejects proposals to reach a peace agreement with Russia by making territorial or other concessions.

Background:

• Ukrainian military intelligence predicts that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wage a long-lasting war against Ukraine, at least until the end of 2022.
• Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, has said that the war might end by the end of 2022.
• Military experts predict that by mid-July Ukrainian forces will be able to launch a counteroffensive against Russian occupation forces.