Russia has made progress on the front. The delay in American aid meant that Ukraine found itself firmly on the defensive, handing the overall initiative to Moscow’s forces.
“The aid is coming too late because the lack of material caused Ukraine to lose the initiative in October 2023,” Kateryna Stepanenkova, a Russian analyst at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), told Reuters on April 22.
The analyst added that Since then, Ukraine has lost 583 square kilometers of territory, mainly due to the lack of artillery ammunition.
The most significant territorial loss for Ukraine was the city of Avdijivka in the Donetsk region, which fell to Russian forces on February 17 after a sustained attack by Kremlin troops. The attack lasted for months.
In the days leading up to Ukraine’s withdrawal, White House national security spokesman John Kirby warned that a lack of artillery could result in the city being lost. After Avdijivka fell, Biden placed the blame squarely on the delay in American aid.
“This morning, the Ukrainian military was forced to withdraw from Avdijivka after Ukrainian troops had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies due to Congressional inaction, resulting in Russia’s first notable gains in months,” Biden said in a Feb. 17 statement after speaking with Zelensky.
Despite Russian progress, the Avdijivka campaign was also extremely costly for Russia in terms of manpower and equipment. Moscow reportedly lost over 20,000 soldiers, 199 tanks and 481 armored fighting vehicles in this sector in January and February 2024 alone.
Russia’s attempts to seize Ukrainian territory continued and continue due to the late approval of package a now Russian forces are trying to take advantage of the situation before weapons and ammunition arrive directly on Ukrainian territory.
On April 22, the Ukrainian military said that around 20,000 to 25,000 Russian troops is currently attempting to attack the town of Časov Jar and the surrounding villages.
Tags: Long wait Ukraine lost territory energy human lives due hesitation
