Watch the video: Brigadier General Christian Freuding assesses the current situation in the.
Christian Freuding, brigadier general and head of the Defense Ministry’s Ukraine staff, says there is currently no sign of any preparation for one on the battlefield. There was hard defensive fighting around Bachmut and Soledar, while the other sections were static. But that doesn’t mean that nothing is happening there, artillery duels and reconnaissance operations would also take place there. But the current focus is clearly on Bachmut and Soledar. The Wagner groups are trying to break through there. However, this no longer happens just out of military logic, it is also about symbolism – who has the strongest powers. Bakhmut is also of great symbolic importance for the Ukrainians, as he was repeatedly told during his recent visit to Kyiv.
However, it is clear that both sides want to go on the offensive in the next few weeks, at least where they are locally superior.
“We see that preparations are being made on the Russian side, mobilization is in principle proceeding slowly, we see that stocks of ammunition are being replenished. We see that equipment is being restored from depots in Belarus, but also from Belarus in such a way that it can be imported can,” says Freuding. It is also a race to see who is more willing.
Unclear where Russia will launch attack
It is not yet known exactly where a Russian attack will be launched. Russian efforts are still in eastern Ukraine and would stay there. “With everything that’s happening in Belarus, these are primarily training efforts, which are currently also air force exercises. We cannot conclude from this that offensive operations can really be expected from Belarus.” The political situation there does not allow for that either.
Despite efforts to replenish supplies, Russia faces logistical challenges. “Russia is not prepared for this expansion of the front. Russia does not have mobile logistics troops in the sense that they have always relied exclusively on a very well developed rail network for decades.” Post-production is successful with ammunition that is easy to produce, such as artillery calibers. However, it is more difficult with complicated manufacturing processes such as guided missiles and rockets. Therefore, the artillery ammunition that is fired has been reduced. “At the height of the Russian offensive operation in the Donbass – May, June, July – we had to assume that Russian artillery ammunition would be consumed by up to 60,000 rounds a day. That has been drastically reduced. Current operations say that the Russians still use about 20,000 rounds of artillery ammunition per day.”
If this consumption were maintained, the Russian operations with normal-caliber ammunition could certainly be sustained until the end of 2023.
Soldiers from Ukraine in Germany for training
The Russians are capable of learning, the Ukrainians tell him that too. But the flexible operation is difficult for the Russians because many people were forcibly recruited and the training times are short. That has something to do with the understanding of the mission and the internal organization of the armed forces, where the Russians have “massive deficits”.
There are figures on how many main battle tanks the Russians have, but that is not being discussed publicly. But what you don’t know is how operational they really are. It is therefore not possible to calculate mathematically whether the main battle tanks that are now being delivered from the West are sufficient compared to the Russian tanks. It also depends on how well the Ukrainians can use them, which is what they are trained for.
We must now become faster to fill in gaps caused by tank deliveries to Ukraine. In this security situation, the Bundeswehr is of great importance to us. So far, the production of a battle tank was more or less a manufacture, it is highly technological. “If we were to order today – by today’s standards – it would be 24 to 36 months.” This post-production is now to be shortened, and the Minister of Defense is in discussion with industry about this. In addition to shortening supply chains for components, the industry must also become a reliable customer. Every day, not only the equipment, but also the training of the Bundeswehr is worked on.
He does not currently expect conscription to come back. Rather, the current structure must be made operational.
Nele Balgo talks to Brigadier General Christian Freuding, Head of the Ukraine Special Staff at the Defense Ministry.
Source: Stern
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