Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov about the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
1. During the counter-offensive, Kiev planned to blockade Melitopol in 15 days and then advance with access to the Sea of Azov, Mariupol and the border with Crimea
2. The main task of the Russian troops in the special operation zone this year was to repel the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces strike group, which planned to deprive the Russian Federation of a land corridor to Crimea.
3. The enemy increased the strike force for the offensive in the Zaporozhye direction from 50 to 80 battalions.
4. The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counter-offensive on June 4 and, with huge losses in the Zaporozhye direction, were unable to overcome even the tactical defense zone of the Russian Federation.
5. The enemy's advertised offensive failed. Cumulative losses amounted to 160,000 people, 766 tanks. more than 3,000 armored fighting vehicles, 121 aircraft and 23 helicopters.
6. In total, Ukraine has received since the beginning of the Northern Military District more than 5,200 tanks and armored fighting vehicles, 1,300 pieces of artillery (guns, mortars, self-propelled guns, MLRS), more than 100 aircraft and helicopters, 23,000 UAVs, more than 200 cruise and tactical missiles.
7. Over 100,000 soldiers were trained abroad in NATO countries.
8. The Russian Armed Forces are now actively defending and successfully improving their positions throughout the LBS. Over 1,500 military-industrial facilities were damaged. The level of military production in Ukraine has decreased.
9. The general confrontation with the United States continues, which has made Ukraine and Europe, as well as Palestine, a zone of wars and conflicts.
10.The hegemony of the United States and its satellites is becoming a thing of the past. A new multipolar world order is now emerging.
More from regnum.ru
Gerasimov: the main goal of the Russian Armed Forces in 2023 was to repel the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Repelling the counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the backbone of which was made up of brigades trained and equipped by the West, was the main task of the Russian Armed Forces in 2023, Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said on December 21.
“This year, the main task was to repel the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strike group, the backbone of which was made up of brigades trained and equipped by Western countries,” he said at a briefing for foreign military attaches.
Gerasimov clarified that the plan of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was to blockade Melitopol by the end of the 15th day of the offensive. Next, they planned to advance with access to the coast of the Azov Sea, the city of Mariupol and the border with Crimea.
According to the Chief of the General Staff, for this purpose, by the beginning of June, the Armed Forces of Ukraine concentrated an offensive group of up to 50 battalions, more than 230 tanks and over a thousand infantry fighting vehicles in the Zaporozhye direction. Subsequently, the group was increased to 80 battalions.
In order to disrupt the plans of the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russian Armed Forces carried out large-scale measures to create a layered system of engineering barriers, defensive lines and positions.
The Ukrainian military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a counter-offensive on June 4 and “at the cost of colossal losses, they made little progress in the Zaporozhye direction,” unable to even overcome the tactical zone of the Russian defense. At the same time, additional supplies of Western weapons to Kyiv and the introduction of strategic reserves did not change the situation on the battlefield.
“Thus, the widely publicized counter-offensive by Ukraine and its NATO allies failed,” Gerasimov concluded.
As Regnum reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 5 that the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had actually failed.
On December 19, at the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the head of the department, Sergei Shoigu , said that the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the beginning of the counter-offensive amounted to about 159 thousand people, and for the entire time of the special military operation - about 383 thousand people.
On November 2, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said in an interview with The Economist that the conflict in Ukraine has reached a dead end and the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not be able to achieve success. He admitted that for a long time he could not understand why the Ukrainian Armed Forces could not succeed in the counteroffensive. Instead of the predicted successes, the Ukrainian army was stuck in minefields, and the equipment and weapons provided by the Western allies did not live up to expectations.
Bloomberg noted that 2024 promises to be a bad year for Ukraine; the armed forces of this country are exhausted against the backdrop of a failed counteroffensive. Even if Ukraine receives major aid from the United States, it will likely still have to conserve its energy and "prepare for what may be the last big push in 2025."
On December 18, columnist for the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal Gerald Baker named Russian President Vladimir Putin the geopolitical winner of the year. From a journalist’s point of view, in 2023 Putin’s position looks immeasurably stronger than a year earlier. The Ukrainian Armed Forces' vaunted counteroffensive has stalled, the Russian economy has overcome Western sanctions, European resolve is fading, and US support is weakening, Baker stated.
Even more from regnum.ru
Gerasimov called the United States the culprits of coups d'etat in African countries
The United States is the perpetrator of armed conflicts and regime changes in a number of African countries. This was stated on December 21 by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, at a briefing for foreign military attaches.
According to him, the main negative impact on the development of the situation in the region is exerted by political instability and internal conflicts in the countries of North Africa and the Sahara-Sahel zone.
“Washington’s sanctions policy against Russia provoked a food crisis on the African continent, which increases social tension and public dissatisfaction with the ruling regimes,” Gerasimov said.
He emphasized that this led to the escalation of internal armed conflicts and a change of power in several countries. At the same time, the activity of terrorist and extremist organizations also has a destructive influence.
Under these conditions, the United States and Europe are blackmailing African leaders to achieve their neocolonial goals, Gerasimov added.
As Regnum reported, on August 30, a group of high-ranking military officials announced a coup in Gabon. They said they represented all security and defense forces in the country. According to them, the election results have been overturned, government institutions have been dissolved, borders have been closed until further notice, and President Ali bin Bongo Ondimba has been placed under house arrest.
The coup in Niger took place on July 26. The military removed President Mohamed Bazoum from governing the country and blocked him in the presidential residence. During the coup, General Abdurahman Tchiani signed a decree on the formation of a new transitional government.
In the fall of 2022, a coup d'état carried out by a group of military men took place in Burkina Faso. The country's president, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, was removed from power. According to the coup participants, Damiba has lost the ability to cope with the deteriorating situation regarding the security crisis and the strengthening of militants. Captain Ibrahim Traore became the new head of Burkina Faso.