American Analysts On Sensational Essay By Zaluzhny

It was not about a “dead end” at all.

The essay by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny for The Economist did not read that the Russian-Ukrainian war had reached a dead end. The general only explained what steps Ukraine needs to take to ultimately defeat the Russian occupiers.

Zaluzhny's text focused on explaining that the current positional nature of warfare was the result of technological-tactical parity on the battlefield and the widespread use of mine barriers by Russian and Ukrainian troops. This is stated in the analysis of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Zaluzhny’s essay, “Modern Positional Warfare and How to Win It,” outlines Zaluzhny’s consideration of the changes Ukraine must make to overcome the current “positional” stage of the war more clearly than the shorter op-ed and the Economist article it accompanied.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine explained in his essay that Ukraine needs to gain air superiority, breach mine barriers in depth, increase the effectiveness of counter-battery, create and train the necessary reserves and build up electronic warfare (EW) capabilities to overcome positional warfare. In particular, Zaluzhny did not say in his essay that the war was a “stalemate”, and did not suggest that Ukraine would not be able to succeed.

According to ISW experts, this article focused on explaining that the current positional nature of warfare was the result of technical and tactical parity on the battlefield. Zaluzhny also described the opportunities that the significant losses of Russian aviation open up for Ukraine, the use of Western missile and artillery weapons by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as Russia’s inability to use its mobilization resources due to political, organizational and motivational problems.

In addition, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted in his essay that in order to avoid trench warfare in the style of the First World War, Ukraine must develop new approaches, including technological and other changes, some of which depend on Western support, while others require adaptation within the Ukrainian army, state and society. At the same time, Zaluzhnyi concluded that positional warfare benefits Russia as it prolongs the war and could allow Russia to achieve superiority in certain areas.

Recall that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke out about the sensational essay by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny for The Economist. According to the Ukrainian president, the situation on the battlefield is not a “stalemate”.