conflict
Ukraine Reportedly Sending Cooks, Mechanics To Frontlines Of War Against Russia As Manpower Problem Grows Worse
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Jake Smith
“It’s a matter of time before the enemy finds a weak spot.”
Ukraine’s manpower problem is growing worse as forces have moved from the frontlines of the war against Russia to stage an incursion into Russian territory.
Ukrainian forces pierced through Russia’s border last week and have now seized more than 400 miles of territory in the Kursk region, in a surprise incursion that caught Moscow off-guard. But the troops that were sent to Kursk were transferred away from other key locations, further exhausting Ukraine’s already alarming lack of manpower against Russian forces on the frontlines of the war, according to the WSJ.
“If we’re supposed to have five or six people in a position, we’ll have two or three,” a 45-year-old army major stationed near the frontlines of the war in eastern Ukraine told the WSJ, adding that the manpower problem had grown so urgent that even cooks and mechanics were being deployed. “It’s a matter of time before the enemy finds a weak spot.”
One Ukrainian commander told the WSJ that when his forces arrived in eastern Ukraine, they had an equal number of troops as Russia did, but now Russia has a manpower advantage of roughly five to one. Only roughly one-fifth of casualties are replaced by new recruits, he said.
The average age of soldiers serving in Ukraine’s infantry is now above 40, according to the WSJ.
“The situation doesn’t allow me to even ask for days off — I’d feel bad leaving,” a 46-year-old platoon commander told the WSJ. “Once it stabilizes, I’ll ask for a break.”
Further complicating matters is Ukraine’s lack of needed military equipment against Russia. While Ukraine has received tens of billions worth of military aid from the U.S. and the West, it has not been enough to match Russia’s armaments, some members of Ukrainian brigades positioned along the eastern front told the WSJ. Ukraine is also limited in its domestic weapons production capabilities, while Russia’s defense industrial base has remained relatively stable and has received help from other Western adversaries, such as Iran and North Korea.
“The Russians have more everything than us—more people, more guns, more shells, more ammunition,” a 46-year-old Ukrainian commander told the WSJ. “In the end, it makes us withdraw.”
Still, the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk has caught Russia off-guard and forced Moscow to transfer thousands of troops to the region to try to regain control, U.S. officials told CNN. Ukrainian forces have reportedly seized more Russian territory in roughly the course of a week than Russian forces have taken in eight months, according to The Telegraph.
The open question now is what Ukrainian forces in Kursk plan to do next. A top Ukrainian official recently said that the incursion is meant to coerce Russia into withdrawing from seized Ukrainian territory.
But privately, U.S. and Western officials told CNN that they were concerned Ukrainian forces could not hold Kursk for long.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
From LifeSiteNews
By Matt Lamb
President Donald Trump urged Vladimir Putin to make a deal and end the war in Ukraine. He also told the World Economic Forum that he will lower the price of oil, which will put pressure on Russia.
President Donald Trump urged Vladimir Putin to “make a deal” and end the war in Ukraine on Thursday. The same day, he also told the World Economic Forum (WEF) it is “time to end it.”
“I don’t know, I think he should make a deal,” President Trump told reporters on Thursday when asked if tariffs and sanctions would lead to negotiations, as reported by The Hill.
He also said Vladimir Zelenskyy is “ready to negotiate a deal.”
Speaking about China’s role, Trump said further:
It’s a very big trading partner. But, Russia supplies a lot of energy to China, and China pays them a lot of money for that, and I think they have a lot of power over Russia. So, I think Russia should want to make a deal. Maybe they want to make a deal. I think, from what I hear, Putin would like to see me meet as soon as we can. I’d meet immediately.
On Thursday morning, Trump addressed the World Economic Forum virtually and said his energy plan will put pressure on Russia by bringing down the price of oil. He also then said that China can help end the war.
He stated:
If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately. Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue. You got to bring down the oil price; you’re going to end that war. They should have done it long ago. They’re very responsible, actually, to a certain extent, for what’s taking place — millions of lives are being lost.
Trump criticized the death toll in Ukraine, calling it a “killing field,” during his WEF speech.
“Millions of soldiers are being killed,” Trump said, twice comparing it to World War II.
Saying there are “millions of Russians and millions of Ukrainians” killed, he said it is “time to end it.”
“I think you’re going to find that there were many more people killed in Ukraine and the Ukraine war than anybody has any idea,” Trump also said in a response to a question. The president pointed out that a report of a 20-story building collapsing said only two people were injured.
Trump ran on a pledge to end the war in Ukraine and to be a president of peace. He has reiterated that pledge since the election.
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) January 24, 2025
“I will end the war in Ukraine. I will stop the chaos in the Middle East, and I will prevent World War III from happening,” Trump said on January 19 during a pre-inauguration victory rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Russia first invaded Ukraine in Februrary 2022. As of September 2024, United States taxpayers promised $183 billion to Ukraine.
The president’s focus on peace won him the endorsement of Tulsi Gabbard, who is now his pick for director of national intelligence.
Criticizing Kamala Harris during a rally in October, Gabbard said “she has shamelessly embraced the endorsement and support of warmongers like Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney and others who care more about power and feeding the military-industrial complex than they care about you, the American people, and peace.”
It was a lofty promise and a campaign tale that no one believed could happen. Donald Trump stayed true on his promise to carry out a number of executive orders on Day 1 of his presidency, but he cannot simply sign an EO to end the war in Ukraine. Yet he did promise to stop sending blank checks to Ukraine and has appointed a special envoy who is requesting 100 days to reevaluate America’s position in the war. More importantly, Trump would like to go directly to the source and speak with Putin.
The Kremlin broadcast Putin’s weekly security council message earlier than expected to address Trump directly. “We are open to dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict,” Putin said. “Its goal should not be a short truce, not some kind of respite for regrouping forces and rearmament with the aim of subsequently continuing the conflict, but a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people, all nations that live in this region.”
Russia will never waiver on a deal that does not include prohibiting Ukraine from joining NATO. Trump seems to be aligned with him on this issue as any reasonable mind can comprehend how this would lead to an immediate escalation into World War III. Territorial concessions? Neither Russia or Ukraine is willing to surrender territory.
New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reaffirmed the new administration’s message that the war in Ukraine must end. America can withhold funding or direct intervention. America cannot undo the damage that has been done. There are too many hands in the money pit that is Ukraine from world governments to investment banks. Everyone is heavily invested in Ukraine and will demand repayment for untold fortunes spent on prolonging the for-profit war. Even withdrawing from NATO would not be sufficient to end the war as the alliance has been preparing for a Trump victory before campaigning efforts began.
Europe is pushing full speed ahead to fabricate World War II, with both Germany and France offering to send “peacekeepers,” a digestible new term for “trained soldiers.” Zelensky simply wants the money to continue pouring in. “Will President Trump even notice Europe?” Zelensky asked in appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “Does he see NATO as necessary, and will he respect EU institutions?” Ukraine’s president is attempting to shape this as a Europe v the USA matter as if America is abandoning Europe under Trump.
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