(Dan Tri) – Attempts to attack Russian military positions are likened to `suicide missions` by Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield, according to Le Figaro.
Ukrainian soldiers in trenches in Donetsk (Photo: AFP).
As the Russian army continues to conduct probing attacks in the Kupyansk area of the Kharkov region, the Ukrainian army has less and less ammunition to deal with the enemy’s onslaught.
According to Le Figaro, Ukrainian forces, which have suffered heavy casualties and losses in weapons since the failed counteroffensive in the summer, `have nothing to fight back`.
`We have no more ammunition. We are only allowed to fire three shells a day,` the Ukrainian soldier told a French journalist.
Mikhail admitted that Ukraine’s artillery shells were not enough to help the country’s soldiers maintain their positions and that any attempt to attack the Russian army was impossible.
`If we want to launch a spring offensive, we will need more troops, ammunition, F-16 fighter jets and SCALP cruise missiles. Taking part in an attack without cover
`We’re running out of ammunition, but for now we’re holding out. We only have 40% of the ammunition we need available. If Russia launches a major attack here, we won’t be able to hold out.`
Ukrainian soldiers appeared unenthusiastic about the possible outcome of the clashes on the battlefield.
`If we are asked to attack, we will attack. But it would be suicide. We do not have enough people and ammunition,` the French newspaper quoted Ukrainian soldiers as saying, saying they were `
In mid-December last year, Ukrainian marines warned of a `suicide mission` when describing an attempt to cross the Dnieper River, according to the New York Times.
Recently, Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said that the Pentagon is aware of the Ukrainian military’s concerns that they `don’t have the ammunition they need.`
After Ukraine’s failed counterattack, the Russian armed forces also regularly announced the destruction of NATO weapons issued to Kiev.
Referring to the deadlock in the US Congress over further aid to Kiev, Wallander added: `Without aid, we would not be able to achieve the pace at which we have provided Ukraine since
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder also admitted that the US Department of Defense had `temporarily paused` sending more weapons to Ukraine from the US arsenal `due to the impact on our military readiness.`
`This of course prevents us from meeting the most urgent needs on the battlefield, including things like artillery shells,` Mr. Ryder said on January 23.
