The Russo-Ukrainian War

Ukrainian convoy goes into battle on July 25, 2022. [CC]

BY CALEB CRUM '24, Staff Reporter

Some of the latest events in Ukraine show that the Ukraine military is coming back and showing strong signs of resistance against the Russian Army. As President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his nightly address to the Ukrainian people, “Perhaps now it seems to some of you that after a series of victories, we now have a lull of sorts, but this is not a lull. This is preparation for the next series … because Ukraine must be free—all of it. ” troops to continue taking back the rest of Ukraine.

The Dnipro River, a large river that is a main barrier between Russia and Ukraine, has multiple bridges that are main routes for Russian shipments of weapons and supplies. The Ukrainians did not take kindly to the new shipments of Russian weaponry, so they took a tactical approach. Rather than attacking the Russians head on, they blew up the bridges along the Dnipro River to prevent any future shipments. The Russians made efforts to repair the bridges, but each time they tried, they heard the sounds of a high-mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS). HIMARS is a movable missile launcher that can launch up to twelve missiles at a time and has an accuracy of six feet. After the bridges were beyond repair, the Russians started making pontoon boats, which were quickly targeted by the HIMARS. Recently, the U.S. has unofficially supplied Ukraine

On Sep. 19, 2022, Russia launched a missile towards a nuclear power plant, and it struck 300 meters away. Zelensky responded to the attack by saying,

“The invaders wanted to shoot again, but they forgot what a nuclear power plant is. Russia endangers the whole world. We have to stop it before it’s too late. ” According to Zelensky, the arrogance and ignorance of the Russian forces could lead to a catastrophic loss in Europe. In response to these events, Zelensky began rallying

with National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, which are used to target low flying ordnance and aircraft. Most NATO countries have been denying involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war because some believe it would start World War III. As a result of these tactics, it is estimated that Russia can only move about 20 percent of the needed equipment on the Dnipro front. Russia panicked and pulled their most elite airborne forces, better known as VDV, out of the region and put them along the river basin. This left a weaker military behind to fortify the Kharkiv region.

Once Russia extracted forces from the Kharkiv region, Ukraine retook the previously captured region, including a major weapons stash in Izum, between Sep. 6 and 8, 2022. The Ukrainians used a circling tactic; instead of going straight in, they circled the city, eliminating fleeing forces from the area and taking out whoever or whatever remained within the city limits. This is the same tactic that the Nazi’s used during World War II to capture the same city, Izum. At the beginning of the current war, it took Russia three months to take the city. Ukraine reclaimed the Kharkiv region in two days.

While the recent success of Ukraine is thanks to their strong will to fight, Russia's military is not at its zenith. According to "Not What You Think, " a somewhat popular Youtube creator, and a writer from Reuters, most of Russia's military is composed of a militant force who were mobilized in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republic; these individuals either volunteered or were randomly pulled off of the street. These soldiers were severely undertrained, under geared, and unmotivated. This made it easy for the Ukrainian offensive to rush through the Kharkiv region and take back what they rightfully owned. With the loss of forces, the Russian military has turned to bombarding civilian residences and infrastructure including hospitals, apartments, and the aforementioned nuclear power plant. These “soldiers” have been fighting in Ukraine or at least keeping tensions high since 2014. Cathy Young from The Bulwark states, “While Russian forces have been able (for now) to stand their ground in some places, their real strategy for countering the Ukrainian offensive is to lob missiles at Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure. On Sunday [Sep. 18], they struck power stations in Eastern Ukraine; the hits caused massive outages, particularly in the Kharkiv region. ” However, this Russian bombardment has been proven ineffective as power has been quickly restored to the entire Kharkiv region. The Russians also bombed a dam which could have caused flooding and a depletion of drinking water, but relatively no harm was done.

On Sep. 21, 2022, Putin released a mobilization order for any draft-aged men (18 or older). There is satellite imagery showing thousands of cars heading towards the Russian borders as people try to flee the country and avoid the draft. Forbes states that “Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia are witnessing a massive influx of Russians fleeing their country to avoid being drafted into Moscow ’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. ” It is estimated that 300,000 men have already fled the country, and that number is predicted to rise within the coming weeks and months. Zelensky expressed that with the recent call-up of forces in Russia, Putin is displaying his weaknesses, and he is not ready to fight.

A HIMARS fire blazes in Ukraine on July 4, 2022. [CC]