The counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which began in the summer of 2023, was supposed to ensure a breakthrough towards the Zaporizhzhia region with further access to the Sea of Azov. Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny decided for the first time to voice his version of events and explain why this did not happen.
Points of attention
- Zaluzhny emphasizes the importance of concentrating forces in one direction and tactical unity to achieve success in military operations.
- Confirmation of Zaluzhny's version by Western representatives highlights the challenges faced by Ukrainian soldiers due to the dispersion of forces, impacting their striking power.
Zaluzhny named the reason for the failure of the counteroffensive in 2023
According to the former commander-in-chief himself, he developed this counteroffensive with the help of NATO partners.
However, they say it failed because the Ukrainian Defense Forces did not receive all the necessary resources to make a breakthrough.
The initial plan was to concentrate enough forces into a “single fist” to retake the partially occupied Zaporizhia region, where the ZNPP is located, and then push them south to the Sea of Azov.
Zaluzhny once again reiterated that the success of this operation was impossible without a concentrated buildup of forces and tactical surprise.
The failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive occurred because Ukrainian soldiers were scattered over a wide area, which diluted their striking power.
His version of how the counteroffensive deviated from the original plan was confirmed by two Western representatives.
"We were not given the opportunity to concentrate the necessary forces in one direction. The decisions were different. The forces were stretched along the entire front line," Zaluzhny claims.
