UA
FR
DEThe Russian Federation has suffered two strategic defeats since the start of a full-scale war against Ukraine: on the battlefield and at the diplomatic level.
“After Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February, Moscow planned that Ukraine would surrender in a few days. Many in the West were of the same opinion. The Kremlin hoped to establish a new ‘Russian’ rule on our land in a couple of weeks. Our defenders, the whole Ukrainian nation repelled the invaders and thwarted these plans,” Minister of Defence of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov posted on Facebook.
According to him, then a new so-called period “until May 9” had started. Having suffered huge losses and a defeat near Kyiv, being unable to achieve any strategic goal, the Russian troops changed their tactics.
“They fled from the Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions and set new goals to capture the south and east of Ukraine. But again, this did not happen. Thanks to the mass heroism of our soldiers, the unity of Ukrainians and international support Ukraine has endured,” the minister stressed.
In total, Russia suffered a strategic defeat by 9 May. It failed to destroy the Ukrainian State by military intervention and organise a change of power in favour of Russian puppets
“We forced Russia to reduce the scale of its objectives to the operational and tactical level. Given that, we are entering a new, long phase of the war. To win it, we must plan resources carefully, avoid mistakes and project our strength in such a way that the enemy ultimately breaks,” Reznikov explained.
As noted, a tectonic shift took place in the international arena. Within a month, Ukraine has completed a path of integration in the sphere of defence that it was not able to overcome for 30 years.
“We are already receiving heavy weaponry from our partners. In particular, American 155-mm M777 howitzers are already working at the front lines. Three months ago, it was considered impossible… A large donor conference was convened in late March. This conference became a hallmark for forming a common position of European partners and accelerating the de facto security integration with Ukraine,” the defence minister stressed.
Reznikov underscored that a fundamental transition had taken place, consolidated at a historic meeting of defence agencies’ leaders of more than 40 countries in Germany on 26 April.
“Recently, a bill on lend-lease was adopted in the United States. This is the exact form of assistance that helped defeat Hitler in World War II. US President Joe Biden symbolically signed it on 9 May. Another law on increasing support for Ukraine is being discussed,” Reznikov wrote.
As the minister noted, political decisions are being adopted in various countries to increase the support for Ukraine not only in the defence sphere, but also in economic, social, and humanitarian areas.
“If we consider that the civilised world is tightening the economic sanctions, while Finland and Sweden are preparing to apply for NATO membership, the international context for the Kremlin is systematically getting worse. The world got the chance to overcome dictatorship, which constitutes a global threat,” the Minister of Defence of Ukraine summed up.
Bohdan Marusyak
