Washington Post: Ukrainian counteroffensive delayed by number of factors

Ukraine's upcoming counteroffensive has been delayed due to a combination of factors, including weather, slow equipment deliveries, and an insufficient amount of ammunition, the Washington Post reported on April 12.

The long-awaited counteroffensive is seen as a critical juncture to take back Ukrainian territory under Russian control, and failure to do so could push Ukrainians to the negotiating table, the Washington Post wrote.

According to the Washington Post, the recent U.S. intelligence document leaks are also complicating matters, given that they delve into details about the Ukrainian military, which could potentially force them to alter plans for the counteroffensive.

Reconnaissance missions are ongoing in Donetsk Oblast to "test" Russian defenses but that doesn't mean Ukrainian units are ready for a full offensive, a Ukrainian corporal told the Washington Post.

For a full offensive to move forward, Ukrainian military units need more heavy equipment, armored vehicles, and training.

According to a Ukrainian captain stationed outside of Bakhmut, an embattled city in Donetsk Oblast, newly-mobilized Russian troops were being brought in to dig reinforcements and did so with any material possible, "even trash," the Washington Post reported.

Speculation about the integrity of the leaked intelligence documents is ongoing. Ukraine officials dismissed the classified documents leak on April 7 as "fake."

Senior U.S. officials told the New York Times on April 7 that the leak prompted an investigation by the Pentagon.

National Security and Defense Council head Oleksii Danilov said on April 6 that “no more than five people” are filled in on Ukrainian plans for the counteroffensive.

Season of offensives: What to expect from the spring campaign in Ukraine

On the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, with the first days of March came the all-consuming mud. Videos of trucks and armored vehicles bogged down in fields heralded the arrival of a time traditionally known in Ukrainian as bezdorizhzhia, or “roadlessness.” Though the mud may present a brief challe…

Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell