Shortage of munitions, fighters and air defences leaves Ukraine unprepared to repel attack
was telegraphed by Moscow, predicted by western intelligence and anticipated by Ukraine. The fact that Russian forces have been able to advance about 4 miles at multiple points in five days raises serious questions about Kyiv’s ability to defend itself.was signalled by Vladimir Putin in March.
A warning was also passed, one source added, from UK defence intelligence to Ukraine’s leadership. So when on 5am last Friday, somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 Russian soldiers crossed the border at two key points, it might have been expected that the attack would be swiftly repulsed.Ukrainian servicemen of the 92nd Assault Brigade fire a multiple rocket launcher towards Russian positions, in the Kharkiv region, on 15 May.In fact, Ukraine’s defensive lines were thin to absent.
Ukraine’s military difficulties have been caused in part by the four-month pause in weapon supplies from the US – finally resolved last month when a $61bn aid package passed Congress – andbefore late 2024. At the same time, Ukraine, outnumbered on the battlefield, is struggling to conscript men, and has reduced the minimum age from 27 to 25.An elderly woman is evacuated from Vovchansk city on 15 May amid Russian advances.
“It’s suicidal for Ukraine to have its main line of defence on the border, where the Russians can hit you with artillery and glide bombs and the Ukrainians don’t have weapons available like Himars rocket artillery to hit back because of US restrictions,” said George Barros, an analyst with the ISW. As a result, Russian forces can mass across the border in a relatively safe space.
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