The war in Ukraine is a thousand days old
Kiev/Moscow/Brussels (EFE).- The war in Ukraine is celebrating its thousandth day, Russia is making daily advances in the east of the country despite high casualties and the Ukrainian army needs more troops, but an important With the change in support they receive from the United States: the possibility of using ATACMS missiles on Russian territory.
The possibility of using these missiles with a range of about 300 kilometers, which has been reported in the United States press but not officially confirmed, would traditionally be Kiev’s way to counter a Russian offensive. Has been one of the demands.
Upon hearing the news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “The plan to strengthen Ukraine is the ‘Victory Plan’ that I have presented to my colleagues. One of the key points is about the long-range capabilities of our military. Today there is a lot of discussion in the media that we might have got permission for these works. But attacks are not made with words. These things are not announced. “The missiles speak for themselves and there is no doubt that they will.”
Since Russia regained the initiative on the front more than a year ago, when the second Ukrainian counteroffensive failed without the expected results, Russian forces have not stopped advancing into the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, However, Moscow is far from its goal of control. The entire area.
Russia’s achievements at the forefront
Russia’s main achievement in recent months was the capture of the city of Vugalldar, south of Donetsk, in early October. From there Kremlin forces move north to encircle Ukrainian troops south of Kurakhov, which, together with the city of Pokrovsk, is the main objective of the Russian offensive.
The armies launch about a hundred attacks per day on the Kurakhov and Pokrovsk axes.
Additionally, Ukraine has warned of plans to launch offensive actions in Russia’s south-eastern province of Zaporizhia, which would put even more pressure on Kiev’s defensive line.
However, it remains to be seen whether Russia has the capacity to apply pressure on a second additional front at the same time.
According to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington, Russian forces took control of 414 square kilometers this October, representing the largest conquest of territory by Moscow in a single month since the summer of 2022. Is.
Although it recognizes these Russian advances, Kiev insists that they are coming at a record cost of human and material losses, and, as it has done since the war’s second year, remains hopeful that the Kremlin will People will be eliminated. And tools to compensate for these losses.
Russia internationalizes the conflict in Kursk
Fighting also continues in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kiev launched its most ambitious cross-border campaign of the war last August and has since taken control of part of the region.
More than three months after Ukrainian soldiers crossed the border, the Russian army has not been able to expel them from its territory.
In this context, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western intelligence, Putin gave his approval to the deployment of approximately 10,000 North Korean troops in that border area, a possibility facilitated by the mutual assistance agreement in case of aggression signed between Moscow and Pyongyang. Was considered.
Analysts do not believe the inexperienced North Korean army can change the fortunes of the battle at Kursk, where Ukrainian units have been reinforced and have barely ceded ground.
But the involvement of foreign powers could set a dangerous precedent of internationalization of the conflict that paves the way for greater NATO involvement.
The Ukrainian operation at Kursk sought to distract Russia from its campaign in eastern Ukraine and slow down its offensive, which has not happened so far.
EU support, key to Ukrainian resistance
Despite the difficult situation at the front, the EU’s financial, military and humanitarian assistance and NATO’s unwavering support also partly explain Ukraine’s ability to stand up to Russia during these Thousand Days.
Senior Community diplomats say we must support Ukraine now more than ever, at a time of uncertainty due to the return of Republican Donald Trump to the White House in January.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the EU has provided approximately €108 billion in financial, humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine, as well as to meet the needs of the 4.3 million Ukrainians who have taken advantage of the temporary protection offered.
NATO, for its part, promoted a new command from a military base in Germany to coordinate all military support and international training missions for Ukrainian troops at its Washington summit in July, as well as $40,000 million to Ukraine this year. Also gave Euro military aid.