Ukraine Pummels Russian Forces in Recent Counter-Offensive

As the Russia-Ukraine War has progressed throughout the fall of 2022, the Russian military has been advancing deeper into Ukrainian territory. However, more recently, their plans have been put on pause as the Ukrainian counter-offense has left inept Russian armed forces in a state of panic and completely changed the trajectory of the war.  

In early September, Ukrainian armed forces shifted some of their troops and equipment toward the south, indicating a possible counter-offensive. It is suspected that Russia panicked, as they shifted a significant amount of their military forces to the southern region of Ukraine bracing for an assault in that region. 

Before the attack, Ukraine was striking Russian depots and supply lines with American long-range missiles. This, combined with Russia’s military shift to the southern region of Ukraine, left Russia’s forces in the north thin and open to attack.

When the Ukrainian forces finally attacked the northern region of Ukraine, the weakened Russian lines were not able to stop the advancing Ukrainians. In less than a week, the Ukrainian military had reclaimed more than 6000 square kilometers from the Russian forces, according to the Guardian. In a chaotic retreat, the Russians left behind a lot of ammunition, equipment, trucks, and tanks.

The disastrous defeat has forced Russian President Vladamir Putin’s hand. On September 21st, Putin ordered a partial mobilization of its reserve army. This order will train and send close to 300,000 of the 2,000,000 soldiers in Russia’s reserve army to the frontlines of Ukraine.

Along with a partial mobilization, Putin has ramped up claims and threats of nuclear retaliation. With Russia being one of five countries recognized to be a nuclear state, they do have the capability of a nuclear strike. This, however, would be disastrous for Russia and Putin, as most countries would retaliate immediately. The United States themselves have promised “swift and severe response” to any act of nuclear aggression committed by Russia, according to the Guardian.

More recently Russian forces stepped up their artillery and missile strikes in response to a large blast that destroyed a bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia. No one has claimed responsibility for this attack, but this strike is a severe blow to Russian troops in Ukraine as it will now be even harder for Russia to supply their troops with the equipment they need.