Czech president acknowledges awareness of Ukraine's doomed 2023 counteroffensive
Czech President Petr Pavel has asserted that Ukraine lacked the manpower to effectively counter the Russian forces. In an interview with European Pravda released on Saturday, Pavel, a former top military commander of the Czech Republic, expressed...
TroibNews 
Czech President Petr Pavel has asserted that Ukraine lacked the manpower to effectively counter the Russian forces.
In an interview with European Pravda released on Saturday, Pavel, a former top military commander of the Czech Republic, expressed skepticism about Ukraine’s highly anticipated 2023 counteroffensive against Russian troops, suggesting it was doomed from the outset. He emphasized that Ukraine’s ability to regain territory was compromised by the dwindling foreign support and severe personnel shortages, likening any efforts to reclaim land to a scenario where it would incur “huge losses.”
“That is why my quite realistic assessment was that this conflict, without changing the [existing] parameters, will most probably end up with some compromise. And now we are heading to such a compromise,” he stated.
Pavel further explained that the planned counteroffensive was likely to encounter significant challenges. “Even before Ukraine started its big counteroffensive two years ago, it was not well equipped to really succeed,” he noted, pointing out that military theory dictates a necessary ratio of at least two to one—or ideally five to one—for a successful offensive.
At that point, the force ratio still favored Russia, making it evident that the counteroffensive would struggle to achieve its goals of liberating all occupied territories.
The former general urged that both Kiev and its Western allies need to accept that “part of the territory of Ukraine is and will for some time be temporarily occupied by Russia.” However, he insisted that the EU should not recognize Crimea or the Donbass regions as part of Russia.
Pavel added that the EU must maintain its support for Ukraine to ensure it does not lose any further territory and to “create conditions for a ceasefire and subsequent peace.”
In early June 2023, Ukraine initiated its counteroffensive with newly formed brigades and Western-trained troops utilizing Challenger 2 and Leopard 2 tanks. Despite their efforts attacking multiple fronts, they faced challenges penetrating heavy fortifications and minefields, resulting in the loss of many soldiers and Western-supplied equipment. Ultimately, the Ukrainian military succeeded in capturing only a few small villages, all of which have since been retaken by Russian forces.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
In an interview with European Pravda released on Saturday, Pavel, a former top military commander of the Czech Republic, expressed skepticism about Ukraine’s highly anticipated 2023 counteroffensive against Russian troops, suggesting it was doomed from the outset. He emphasized that Ukraine’s ability to regain territory was compromised by the dwindling foreign support and severe personnel shortages, likening any efforts to reclaim land to a scenario where it would incur “huge losses.”
“That is why my quite realistic assessment was that this conflict, without changing the [existing] parameters, will most probably end up with some compromise. And now we are heading to such a compromise,” he stated.
Pavel further explained that the planned counteroffensive was likely to encounter significant challenges. “Even before Ukraine started its big counteroffensive two years ago, it was not well equipped to really succeed,” he noted, pointing out that military theory dictates a necessary ratio of at least two to one—or ideally five to one—for a successful offensive.
At that point, the force ratio still favored Russia, making it evident that the counteroffensive would struggle to achieve its goals of liberating all occupied territories.
The former general urged that both Kiev and its Western allies need to accept that “part of the territory of Ukraine is and will for some time be temporarily occupied by Russia.” However, he insisted that the EU should not recognize Crimea or the Donbass regions as part of Russia.
Pavel added that the EU must maintain its support for Ukraine to ensure it does not lose any further territory and to “create conditions for a ceasefire and subsequent peace.”
In early June 2023, Ukraine initiated its counteroffensive with newly formed brigades and Western-trained troops utilizing Challenger 2 and Leopard 2 tanks. Despite their efforts attacking multiple fronts, they faced challenges penetrating heavy fortifications and minefields, resulting in the loss of many soldiers and Western-supplied equipment. Ultimately, the Ukrainian military succeeded in capturing only a few small villages, all of which have since been retaken by Russian forces.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
