Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

Washington Post: Extensive minefields hamper Ukraine’s counteroffensive progress

by Daria Bevziuk July 16, 2023 4:49 AM 1 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine has received less than 15% of its requested demining and engineering equipment from the West, the Washington Post reports, citing a senior Ukrainian official who spoke on conditions of anonymity. Both President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov have called on the Western allies for procuring more mine-clearing systems.

Areas between 5 and 16 kilometers deep have been densely mined with antitank and antipersonnel mines and trip wires in front of Russian forces’ main strongholds.

These defenses have been successful in slowing the Ukrainian advance, according to Ukrainian military. At least 200,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land had been mined by Russian forces as of June.

As a result of constant strikes by missiles or artillery, Ukrainian forces employ sapper units to manually clear paths through minefields. Moving on foot poses logistical challenges, including resupplying ammunition and evacuating wounded.

In an interview with the Washington Post, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that newly arrived Western tanks have vulnerabilities because they alone are unable to breach Russian defenses bolstered by antitank and antipersonnel mines.

"We need special equipment, we need special remote mine-clearance equipment,” Zaluzhny said, adding that Ukraine is using U.S.-provided M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) systems. Referrring to the high ratre of attrition of the equipment, he explained, “they are also being destroyed, yes. There’s nothing wrong with that. It takes a lot of them."

Zaluzhnyi on Ukrainian strikes inside Russia: ‘It is up to us to decide how to kill this enemy’
In an interview with the Washington Post, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, defended his army’s right to strike Russian soil, adding that such attacks are carried out only with Ukraine-made weapons.

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

4:06 AM

Latvia joins UN Security Council for first time.

Latvia was elected on June 3 to the UN Security Council for the first time in its history. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže called it a “historic day" for the Baltic nation, pledging the country’s commitment to upholding the rules-based international order.
9:19 PM

Everything we know about Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb.

Ukraine was jubilant on June 1 as news filtered through of a stunning drone attack targeting Russian heavy bombers that simultaneously attacked four air bases, two of them thousands of miles inside Russia. The Kyiv Independent's Chris York explains everything we know about Operation Spiderweb.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.