Putin visited the headquarters of the Northern Military District on October 20. The President of Russia arrived in Rostov-on-Don, where he had a meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and other representatives of the senior leaders of the Ministry of Defense.
“Comrade Supreme Commander, the joint group of troops solves problems according to the special operational plan,” Gerasimov emphasized. Putin listened to Gerasimov’s report on the situation at the front and also asked to convey greetings to all commanders of the Russian army. It is not the first time that the prime minister has asked for an account of what is happening. Particularly now that the Russian counteroffensive is underway.
Putin’s arrival comes in the midst of a second open conflict between Israel and Hamas. At the moment the front line between all sections has 815 km. The Ukrainian front was unsuccessful, the Russian defense was not broken through anywhere, and the Ukrainian successes in no way correspond to the forces and means employed, despite the introduction into battle of almost all reserves accumulated and formed for the counteroffensive.
In June 2022, Ukraine launched a strategic counteroffensive, the goal of which was to liberate all Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea. During the four months of the offensive, the task of the first stage was also not solved: the capture of Tokmak in the Zaporozhzhie region and cutting the land corridor to the Crimea, much less the territory occupied by Russia were not realized.
According to the American Institute for the Study of War, during the counteroffensive Ukrainian troops liberated only 253 square kilometers of territory and less than twenty villages of no strategic importance. That is, Ukraine liberated 0.24% of the territories under Russian control. This indicates the complete failure of the counteroffensive and the impossibility of achieving a convincing victory over Russia.
The propaganda campaign according to which some Western weapons have turned the situation at the front does not entirely correspond to reality, and now the results do not correspond to the expectations of Western sponsors. The much publicized “great victories” and the power of Western weapons have not produced concrete results on the battlefield.
In the Ukrainian and Western media and in the statements of military experts, pessimism about the power of the Ukrainian army and the possibility of victory in the confrontation with Russia has long been heard. For a few days the Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin himself have said they are ready to sit at a table if Russia is recognized for the territories it has taken.
Graziella Giangiulio
