The British Times published an article dedicated to the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Lisichansk, the last large city of the Lugansk region of Ukraine, which remained under the control of Kyiv. The publication calls the loss of Lisichansk “a reminder that [Ukraine] is difficult to cope with Russian fire power – at least without large -scale support of the West.” Excerpts from this article are cited by the Russian BBC service.
Remembering the erroneous forecasts of many Western experts, Times notes that contrary to their expectations, Russia could not provide a simple victory, and the war did not end quickly.
“In many ways, this shifts a strategic advantage towards Russia,” the publication believes, according to which, the advantage is as follows:
The Russian economy is more than Ukrainian – and despite Western sanctions, it is better to support the long -term war.
The Ukrainian government has encountered a huge budget deficit and has no quick access to loans.
Russia can afford to put a lot more lives on the altar than Ukraine.
Russia has much more weapons and more powerful military industry, which now diligently produces ammunition.
In the east, Russia has an unconditional advantage in artillery, and Ukraine completely depends on the supply of Western weapons, which often acts too slowly.
Based on these factors, some in the West, in particular, representatives of the American intelligence community, began to call for the administration of President Biden in order to include Ukraine to negotiations based on the principle of “peace in exchange in the territory.”
“The correct conclusion is that Ukraine requires more assistance, – the Times said. – When Ukrainians have proper support, they are unusually strong in repelling Russian attacks and the return of territories.” In confirmation of this argument, the publication recalls the recent defeat of the Russian army of the Russian Federation on the island of Zmein in the Black Sea.
“now Ukrainians are slowly moving in the south, and their retreat from Lisichansk, although it has become painful, will help protect the territory while America is preparing new missile systems. This war will be long, and the allies of Ukraine should not have false hopes that You can simply return the lost, ”the publication says.“ However, Ukrainians do not want to seek peace in a weak position – and they cannot be forced to do it. Now they need not white flags, but more weapons. ”