Staff Reports
It's Week 88 of Putin's War! This week, the battlegrounds have moved from Ukraine to Washington, D.C., and Brussels, where politics and public opinion are at stake. As expected, a lot of people are talking about how well the Ukrainian Army did in the Spring Offensive. Although Ukraine sent its best troops to the field, they did not live up to anyone's hopes.
One thing that made people sad was that the war was so unusual—it was ruled by land mines and suicide drones. It looks like no one really knew how these guns would change battles that happen on the move. It's important to figure out if the NATO teachers did a good job of getting the Ukrainian battle staffs ready for this kind of fighting.
It's not just people in the West who were let down by the Spring Offensive. President Zelensky of Ukraine is angry that the West is taking so long to show support and that some people in his inner group don't think Ukraine will win. This makes me wonder how much the West really cares about Ukraine's cause.
Last month I followed President @ZelenskyyUa from Washington to Kyiv to interview him and his team at a turning point in the war. My first dispatch from the trip is out today @TIME. Among the hardest I’ve ever had to write. https://t.co/purXuqm07E A thread with some details:
— Simon Shuster (@shustry) October 30, 2023
In the middle of all this, Zelensky is also getting a rude lesson about the media. He was close with a reporter and felt safe with them, but then he realized that reporters are not friends but people who help you get a job. Using unnamed sources in the news makes it smell like people are settling scores to get more clicks. It's a shame that Zelensky has to deal with this now, when Ukraine is so weak.
When it comes to the military, the Ukrainian Chief of Staff, Valery Zaluzhny, is worried about how slowly weapons are getting to Ukraine. He thinks that the war could stay frozen if there isn't a big influx of equipment. Zaluzhny also has doubts about the usefulness of the tips NATO gives to leaders.
Zelensky still believes that the Ukrainians will win, which is the only good thing about all the problems. But the recent bad press about Ukraine will make it harder to help the country. After this, Zelensky should learn from his mistake and be wary of what the media is trying to do.
Military actions have slowed down, but there are still battles going on in different parts of the world. Drones are still very important in the war, and the people who fly them are important targets. Because of suicide drones, both sides have had to pull their armored trucks back from the front lines. This has made the "gray zone" between them bigger.
Overall, things are hard for Ukraine, but Zelensky is still determined to show progress and get the backing of Western countries. It is important for Ukraine to get the tools and help it needs to fight the Russian forces successfully. The next few months will be very important in deciding how this war ends.
