With Ukraine’s counteroffensive moving slower than anticipated, Kyiv scores a small victory by liberating some strategic territory in Donetsk Oblast.
But amid the Ukrainian gains in the south, Russia is launching an offensive of its own in Kharkiv Oblast in the northeast.
And a U.S. intelligence report has assessed that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will fail to achieve its key objective of severing Russia’s land bridge to Crimea this year.
So where does the fighting stand 18 months after Russia launched its war of aggression?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks to military analyst Michael Kofman, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Principal Research Scientist at the CNA Corporation, and a senior editor at War on the Rocks. Enjoy…
SHOW NOTES
The opening clip of the podcast is from a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 13, 2023. The translation of the clip is as follows:
“The Ukrainian people are extremely brave and courageous. We know that freedom is priceless, and we know how to defend it. We know how to protect life. And we have to remember that every day must bring results in the defense of Ukraine.”
The clip opening the second segment of the podcast is from a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 15, 2023. The translation is as follows:
“Ukraine’s goal is clear: we will win and provide Ukraine with the power to guarantee a lasting peace. And I thank each and every one of our warriors – everyone who is fighting for Ukraine!”
Michael Kofman’s work for War On The Rocks can be found here and his expert’s page at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace can be accessed here.
An article in The Washington Post about an assessment by the U.S. intelligence community of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which was discussed on the podcast, can be accessed here.