Ukrainian soldiers near Bakhmut, in the east of the country. Photo by AFP
Through binoculars, Ukrainian soldiers could see Russia’s position in the distance. But the only artillery gun they held was at a small outpost in the southern steppe It does not have enough scope to attack it.
These incidents imposed a drowsy task on the Ukrainians, who were daily hit by Russian salvos artillery with no way to resist. Every few hours they dive into trenches to escape shells who fell from heaven.
“They have our fixed position, they know where we are,” Sergeant Anatoly Vykhovanets said. “It’s like we’re in the palm of your hand.”
While President Volodymyr Zelensky almost daily asks the West for heavier artillery, positions like these, on the west bank of the Dnieper River, best illustrate how important such a weapon is to Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers near Bakhmut, in the east of the country. Photo by AFP
Military analysts say the battle will not depend so much on the skill or courage of the Ukrainian soldiers, but on the accuracy, quantity and the attack force of long-range weapons.
Advantages of Russia
The artillery capacity of the two armies near Pryvillia was so tied in favor of Russia that Ukrainian officials specifically excluded the region from Western officials and members of the U.S. Congress in their calls for more. military support.
In response, Western allies are trying to speed up the delivery of artillery systems and related equipment to Ukraine, and they are already starting to arrive. but not so fast as preferred by Ukrainian officials, especially in places like this small outpost in the south.
The United States has announced its plans to send a 90 M777 howitzer, a system capable of firing 40 kilometers with millimeter accuracy, but until this week the first was fired into this region in combat, according to a video that provided by the military to a media outlet. ukrainian
The other US weapons that Ukraine has drone to spot targets and correct artillery fire and tracked armored vehicles used to pull howitzers into position, even under gunfire.
On Monday, President Joe Biden signed the Lend-Lease Act, which would allow more U.S. arms to be transferred to Ukraine, and the House of Representatives passed an aid package Tuesday night. of 40,000 million dollars.
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Source: Clarin
