The delayed decisions by Western leaders regarding military aid to Ukraine and the lifting of restrictions on long-range strikes on Russian territory allowed the aggressor country to recover from its problems in 2022-2023. This enabled the Kremlin to restructure its army for further waging war, states Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak.
According to Podolyak, if these decisions had been made promptly by Ukraine’s partner countries and logistically implemented, the situation on the front line and in Russia would have been different.
He reminded that by the end of 2022 and throughout 2023, it was clear how frightened Russian President Vladimir Putin was, where he was, and how he practically avoided participation in any meetings – he disappeared. Russia was not effectively fighting on the front lines and did not understand what needed to be done.
Podolyak stated that it became clear that the Russian army was not prepared for large-scale, modern wars. At the beginning of 2023, the Russian army, like the entire military-political leadership of the country, appeared disoriented.
However, the pause and delays in making necessary decisions by Ukraine’s allies gave the Russian forces time and opportunity to recover, said the advisor to the head of the President’s Office.
Podolyak emphasized that Russia understands its inability to fight with high-quality weapons and high-tech solutions, relying instead on old Soviet methods.
“And that means using resources and manpower. Unfortunately, this could have certain consequences, as they see it, in terms of exerting pressure on European communities,” he said.
Podolyak also noted that prolonging the war by using resources leads to a certain fatigue in European countries and the broader West.
Issue of the West lifting the taboo on long-range weapons for Ukraine
In September 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained why Ukraine urgently needed long-range capabilities, as Russia was moving its targets deeper into the country.
At that time, restrictions on the use of Western weapons provided to Ukraine were still in place, with certain taboos imposed by the US and the UK.
On November 18, the US allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles to strike targets on Russian territory. It was also revealed that the Biden administration permitted strikes on Russian rear areas using Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles, which contain American components.
Additionally, similar permissions were granted by the governments of the UK and France, whose defense companies manufacture these missiles, but with limitations, restricting their use to the Kursk region.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine published a separate article explaining why Russia can’t fight for years, or when Putin will run out of people
