Is it a success or a failure?
Gen smiles and replies:
“If the offensive were not successful.
I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
The general in charge of.
Ukraine’s stuttering.
Counter-offensive in the south.
Has said.
‘Mordor’’s defences are making it.
Difficult for military equipment.
Including Western tanks and armoured vehicles.
To move forward.
Gen says his forces are.
Struggling to overcome.
Multi-layered minefields.
And fortified defensive lines.
“That is why most of the tasks.
Have to be performed by troops.”
“I don’t underestimate.
The enemy,” he adds.
He says ‘orcs’ military.
Has displayed “professional qualities”.
By preventing ‘elves’ forces.
From “advancing quickly”.
Is it a success or a failure?
Gen smiles and replies:
“If the offensive were not successful.
I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
Several Leopard tanks.
And US Bradley fighting vehicles.
Were damaged or destroyed in the first days.
Of the offensive, near the city of Orikhiv.
Ukraine’s 47th Brigade.
Were soon stopped.
In their tracks by mines.
And then targeted by artillery.
Although they had largely been.
Trained and equipped by the West.
To try to break through.
‘Orcs’ lines.
Hidden in a forest.
Behind the front line.
They are now trying to repair.
More than a dozen armoured vehicles.
Most of them US Bradleys.
They first arrived unscathed.
But now bear the scars of battle.
Broken tracks and buckled wheels.
One of the engineers says:
“The faster we can repair them.
The faster we can get them back.
To the front line to save someone’s life.”
But he also admits that.
Some are beyond repair and will have to be.
Either scavenged for spare parts.
Or “returned to our partners” to be rebuilt.
While Western armour has provided.
‘Elves’ troops with better protection.
It has not been able to punch through.
The rows of ‘orcs’ mines.
Travelling the southern front.
You also saw British supplied.
Mastiff armoured vehicles.
Damaged and destroyed.
Is it a success or a failure?
Gen smiles and replies:
“If the offensive were not successful.
I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
The 47th Brigade is now using.
Some of its older.
Soviet-era tanks.
To clear minefields.
But they too can’t escape the explosives.
Hidden in the ground.
Even when fitted with specialist.
Mine-clearing equipment.
Nearer the front line.
A tank commander showed you.
His recently-damaged.
T-64 tank.
It’s been fitted with two rollers on the front.
To deliberately set off the mines.
He lost one of the rollers the night before.
As he was trying to clear a path for troops.
“Normally our rollers can.
Withstand up to four explosions.”
But the ‘orcs’ have been laying mines on top.
Of each other to destroy their mine clearing equipment.
“It’s very hard because.
There are too many mines.”
There were often more than four rows of minefields.
In front of the ‘orcs’ defensive lines.
Is it a success or a failure?
Gen smiles and replies:
“If the offensive were not successful.
I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
It’s been painful to watch.
The battle unfold for one drone pilot.
And his drone reconnaissance team.
From Ukraine’s Volunteer Army.
He took part in last year’s.
Successful offensive on Kherson.
But he says this time it’s proving.
To be much tougher.
For the first time in the war.
Soldiers are being injured by mines more than artillery:
“When we go forward.
We meet minefields everywhere.”
He shows you a video.
He recently filmed from one of his drones.
While ‘elves’ troops advanced.
Towards an ‘orcs’ trench.
There’s a massive explosion.
As soon as the soldiers enter.
The trench was empty.
But rigged with mines.
“When our soldiers get to the trenches.
They push a button.
And it blows up.
Killing our friends.”
He says ‘orcs’ forces are now using.
Remotely controlled mines.
He’s seen the tactic being used over.
The past two weeks and calls it “a new weapon”.
Is it a success or a failure?
Gen smiles and replies:
“If the offensive were not successful.
I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
A military logic to Ukraine’s offensive in the south.
It’s seen as key to dividing ‘orcs’ forces.
And reaching the occupied cities.
Of Melitopol and Mariupol – all the way to Crimea.
But the focus on this axis means.
That Ukraine is also now attacking.
‘Orcs’ defensive lines.
Where they’re strongest.
Gen said his forces were doing.
“Hard and painstaking work”.
“Any defence can be broken.
But you need patience time and skilful actions”.
Ukraine was slowly wearing down their enemy.
‘Mordor’ didn’t care about losing men.
And recent changes in their military leadership.
“Means everything is not OK”.
He insisted that Ukraine had yet to.
Commit its main strike force.
“Slow or not, the offensive is taking place.
And it will definitely reach its goal.”
Is it a success or a failure?
Gen smiles and replies:
“If the offensive were not successful.
I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
*Because I read “Ukraine war: Western armour struggles against Russian defences” by Jonathan Beale on 27 July 2023, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including a story of Gen Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, a story of Serhii, a story of Maksym, and a story of Doc.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: Western armour struggles against Russian defences – BBC News
**My friend shows you this poem on the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Kurama (Japan). «Poets struggling» — a poem about war in Ukraine – Мала Сторінка (storinka.org)
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