Ukraine starts to face bloodiest weeks of the war

With the buildup of Russian troops and the procurement of more modern tanks, the coming month will prove to be the bloodiest and most crucial moments of the war in Ukraine. On Feb. 13, Russian forces massed on the frontline with Ukraine, and on Feb. 13.  Those Russian troops began assaulting the frontline. The biggest operation of the war has begun.

The Kremlin last year reported that conscription efforts had recruited around 300,000 new soldiers. The Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov claims that the number is actually upwards of half a million. The Russian build-up of forces has been on the frontline in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine and the region has already been a hotspot for fighting since the start of the war.

Russia launched the start of its offensive there with the highly contested city of Bakhmut being a large target, as well as the major city of Kharkiv, Kharkiv being a major target over the course of the war. On the first day of the offensive, Russia lost 800 men; those casualties haven’t been seen since the first weeks of the invasion. Reports from all across the Eastern Front show that these beginning days of the offensive are a bloodbath for the Russian troops.

“I think that Russia is starting to get desperate for victory,” sophomore James Prizant said.

“There are already many reports that the occupiers want to do something symbolic in February to try to avenge their last year’s defeats,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on the evening of Feb. 5. In response to the build-up of Russian troops and the anticipated assault, Ukrainian fortifications had been strengthened in the Donbas region.

Recently, the United States approved the sending of 31 M1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks (MBT) to Ukraine, and Germany approved the sending of 14 Leopard 2A7V Main Battle Tanks. Modern MBTs, like the Abrams and Leopard, despite being sent in what seems to be small numbers, will make a massive difference in the coming weeks. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting with outdated T-90s and T-72s, which are unable to compete with modern anti-tank weapons, proving costly for both sides. The Leopard and Abrams both are capable of good defense against such weapons and will be able to make a difference because of that. 

According to CNN, Germany has also promised two battalions of Leopard 2s (about 40-56 tanks). The tanks will have their Ukrainian crews trained in Germany before being sent to the frontline. The Leopard 2s are lighter and easier to use than the U.S. Abrams and that is the reasoning behind the value of getting Leopard 2s into Ukraine over getting more Abrams. Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov was in France, meeting French President Emmanuel Macron, to secure the purchase of air defense radars. He was also there to attempt to get European nations to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, something France has not yet ruled out like the United States and the United Kingdom.

Ukraine is about to see some of the worst fightings of the war. While this offensive will not be the deciding battle of who wins the war, it will certainly be instrumental in the outcome. Ukrainian troops have fought bravely for many months, maybe soon we could see an end to this war.