Christian Nghiyoonanye Haikali
One year on since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is still no end in sight to the greatest conflict Europe has ever experienced since the end of the Second World War. Commencing on 24 February 2022, what was probably perceived as a short-term conflict by many has since developed into a largescale, somewhat protracted, a conflict which has since drawn in many major international players, notably the western countries.
Spurred on by the surprising bravery of the Ukrainian forces which have since stood up to the task since the invasion has begun, many of the Western countries, notably those who are part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), have since poured billions of dollars worth of military, humanitarian and financial aid into Ukraine in a bid to help the country in its war efforts against Russia.
The military aid in particular helped strengthen the Ukrainian position in the war and led to a gradual transition of the Ukrainian army, in terms of armaments, from the mostly Soviet-Era types of arms to the NATO standard weapons. Spearheaded by the United States of America (USA) which is by far, as a single country, the greatest contributor of military aid to Ukraine with more than US$24 billion in military aid committed since the invasion began. Other countries include economic and military powerhouses such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, as well as France, among others.
What the latest military package to Ukraine includes:
In January 2023, further security assistance of about US$3 billion to Ukraine was announced by the United States. Part of this package are tens of Bradly infantry fighting vehicles which are highly capable battle tank killers.
The US has also since announced that it would, for the first time in this war, provide the Ukrainians with up to 31 of its M1 Abraham tanks, regarded as the most advanced tanks in the world today. Other countries have since followed suit, with Germany announcing that it would supply Ukraine with its Leopard 2 main battle tanks and also allow other countries having such tanks to supply them to Ukraine. The British have also pledged to provide Ukraine with their Challenger 2 battle tanks.
This new development is a significant shift in the dynamics on the ground in the war because these countries initially only focused on supplying Ukraine with weapons with defensive capabilities. However, the Bradly fighting vehicles as well as the battle tanks recently pledged by these countries are a highly offensive weapon which would surely potentially immensely help the Ukrainians in their expected upcoming counteroffensive.
The current hotspot of the fighting in Ukraine.
After failing to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, during the early days of the invasion, the Russian army has since turned its focus on to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as well as on the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv where they had some successes.
However, from around August 2022 going into September 2022, the Ukrainian forces mounted stunning counteroffensives, almost simultaneously, in the Kherson region in the south and the Kharkiv region in the northeast. This resulted in the liberation of the cities of, among others, Izyum and Lyman in the northeast and Kherson city to the south by the Ukrainian forces.
As winter approached towards the end of 2022, the frontlines in the east of the country came to a standstill, with neither side making any significant gains, resulting in a war of attrition. The Russians have since made the most of winter time to inflict maximum pressure on the Ukrainians via the destruction of Ukraine’s Energy infrastructure by mainly using long-range missiles and Iranian-made Shahed drones according to media reports.
As of late, most of the fighting has been centred on the eastern city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. There have been reports of significant losses on both sides as each side tries to gain the upper hand to gain full control of the Donbas region. However, despite the great significance of the offensive weapons recently pledged by the west, it would be months before these weapons arrive on the battlefield since the Ukrainians would first have to undergo training on how to utilise them. The difference these arms will make, if any, will only be realised when they have finally entered combat. Therefore, whether or not these latest supplies of arms will help Ukraine turn the tide of the war remains to be seen.
* Christian Nghiyoonanye Haikali holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Management and a B.Ed. Honours Degree in Mathematics and Science. He is pursuing a Master’s Degree in International Law at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China.
– haikalichris@gmail.com