Watch the video: General Walter Feichtinger talks about the situation at the front, the lack of Russian offensive power, the consequences of the US document leaks and the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Feichtinger is a retired Brigadier (General), political scientist and was head of the Institute for Peacekeeping and Conflict Management of the Austrian Armed Forces.
Feichtinger’s core statements about the war in the are:
- Russia’s offensive power is broken
- With airborne troops, Russia uses its last reserves
- The leaked documents are uncomfortable for the US, but shouldn’t change anything about Ukraine’s strategy
- Ukraine has so far received far fewer tanks and fighter jets than it had hoped for and needs to adjust its plans
- The main battle tanks are in the center but for a counter-offensive you need artillery on the flanks
Feichtinger in brief:
“The focus of the fighting remains unchanged in the region and further north.”
On the use of Russians in Bakhmut: “Firstly, it means that the army’s conventional forces are obviously quite exhausted here, that they no longer have enough personnel and material to continue the war. And on the other hand, that’s pretty much an indication of it “That you’re going back to last resort, using airborne troops here in ground combat. That’s a bit unusual. It’s actually something to avoid.”
In the Zaporizhia area: “We have been seeing for months that the Russian side is trying to draw up defensive lines in order to stop an attack as far forward as possible or not allow it to develop fully.”
“The current situation is that they can’t develop much offensive power anymore and there is a willingness to be more defensive here. That would indicate that if you keep that, you are very satisfied with the territory you have conquered and therefore not only invested a lot in the offensive, in the attack, but rather in the defense of these conquered and annexed areas.”
“Most of it was actually clear. What was interesting is that there were a lot of details about numbers, i.e. which forces are available and which materials have already been destroyed. But that doesn’t only affect the Ukrainian side, but also the Russian side Because we have basically confirmed the loss figures that have been collected by independent sources in recent months.”
“What we do know is that Ukraine has submitted a wish list here. It includes 500 battle tanks, 800 armored personnel carriers, 500 active systems. We know from the numbers that they are well below that that were delivered. And of course that has a huge impact on the planning of Ukraine. It makes a big difference how much equipment you actually have available. And so I would assume that the attack plans would be reduced and refined, because here Less equipment came than you expected or than you wished for.”
Vivian Bahlmann talks to the security expert General Walter Feichtinger, former head of the Institute for Peacekeeping and Conflict Management of the Austrian Armed Forces.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
