Zelensky’s strained relations with the military leadership, which reportedly stems from him putting his political goals ahead of military objectives, has previously been covered by Ukrainian and international media.
Zelensky ‘yelling at generals’
– The Economist
The Ukrainian president allegedly believes that he is being kept in the dark about the situation at the front
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky believes his generals are hiding the truth from him and has taken to shouting at them, The Economist has claimed, citing a government source.
Purported fits of presidential rage were mentioned in a Monday report on the situation in Kharkov Region, where Russian forces have gained significant ground over the last month.
Purported fits of presidential rage were mentioned in a Monday report on the situation in Kharkov Region, where Russian forces have gained significant ground over the last month.
According to the British newsweekly, Ukrainian troops deployed there are angry at the development and have competing theories about the causes.
- Some blame the US and its allies for insufficient and untimely aid, not unlike Zelensky himself, while others “suspect that incompetence, or even treachery, played a more significant role.”
- There are also “conspiracy theories” about politicians in Kiev and Washington conspiring to sell the territory “down the river ahead of an ugly peace deal.”
In December, the newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda claimed that the president was actively undermining Valery Zaluzhny, who at the time was Ukraine’s most senior general, in favor of Aleksandr Syrsky.
- “It seems Zelensky has two kinds of troops: ‘good’ ones commanded by Syrsky and other favorites and ‘bad’ ones under Zaluzhny,” a source told the outlet.
- “This demoralizes [Zaluzhny] and prevents him from commanding the army as a whole.”
In February, the Ukrainian leader fired Zaluzhny and appointed Syrsky as his replacement.
A profile of Zelensky published by Time magazine last November said the president’s uncompromising drive for a battlefield victory over Russia was “verging on the messianic” and had put him at odds with some officers.
A military official described how at one point the president’s office issued a direct order to a unit on the ground to “retake” a certain city, and received the reply: “With what?” ...The unit had neither weapons nor soldiers, the source explained.
__________________________________________________________________
This report discusses the planned, ongoing, and completed oversight work conducted by the DoD, State, and USAID Offices of Inspector General, as well as the other U.S. oversight agencies that coordinate their activities through the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group.
__________________________________________________________________
Corruption Remains a Persistent Challenge for the Ukrainian Government
pp. 54–57
• Perception of corruption in Ukraine has declined significantly since 2013, but it still remains one of the
least accountable governments in Europe.
• The war has created new opportunities for bribes, kickbacks, and inflated procurement costs.
• The U.S. provided technical assistance and training to Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors.
• Ukraine’s anticorruption institutions investigated and arrested government officials and legislators for bribery and embezzlement
____________________________________________________________________________________
U.S. UKRAINE RESPONSE OPERATIONS
JANUARY 1, 2024—MARCH 31, 2024
Russian Forces Made Incremental Gains Along a Mostly Static Front Line pp. 26–30, 34
• The UAF withdrew from the industrial town of Avdiivka after months of heavy fighting.
Russian forces targeted economic and energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
• Russian forces committed war crimes, including the deportation and reeducation of Ukrainian children.
• The UAF sank several Russian warships with unmanned surface vessels and hit Russian oil and gas facilities with UAVs.
• President Zelenskyy dismissed his top military commander amid increased tensions between the two men.
• Ukraine lowered its conscription age, potentially providing 50,000 new troops for the UAF. Training and Equipping Efforts Continue pp. 39–46, 85
• U.S. and Danish training aims to have Ukrainian F-16 pilots ready by summer 2024.
• Advisors train UAF personnel to serve as instructors and increase self-sufficiency.
• Advisors work to build Ukrainian maintenance capability, but major repairs still require that equipment be sent out of country.
• International partners established capability coalitions to build the UAF’s long-term fighting ability.
• State provided training and equipment to investigate and prosecute war criminals and human rights violators.
14.6M Ukrainians—Half the Country—Need Humanitarian Assistance pp. 17, 64–70
• Since Feb 2022, USAID has provided over $2 billion in humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.
• USAID released new guidance and precautions for aid workers in Ukraine.
• USAID has directed resources to respond to Russian attacks on energy and healthcare infrastructure.
Uncertain Funding Created Challenges for U.S. and Ukrainian Militaries pp. 9–11, 35–36
• The first new Ukraine assistance bill in 16 months was enacted on April 24.
• The DoD had begun to reduce its support for Ukraine prior to the enactment of new funding.
• The DoD sent $10 billion worth of weapons to the UAF that it did not have the funds to replace.
• UAF troops reported rationing ammunition due to limited supply.
Corruption Remains a Persistent Challenge for the Ukrainian Government pp. 54–57
• Perception of corruption in Ukraine has declined significantly since 2013, but it still remains one of the least accountable governments in Europe.
• The war has created new opportunities for bribes, kickbacks, and inflated procurement costs.
• The U.S. provided technical assistance and training to Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors.
• Ukraine’s anticorruption institutions investigated and arrested government officials and legislators for bribery and embezzlement.
OAR Oversight is Enhancing Transparency pp. 21, 123–129
• The Special IG launched UkraineOversight.gov to make comprehensive information about OAR more accessible to the public.
•Special IG and partner agency reports found:
.gif)
• The Navy over-spent funds for Ukraine.
• USEUCOM had limited oversight of equipment transported to Ukraine by rail.
• USAID did not verify the accuracy of Ukrainian salaries being reimbursed with U.S. funds.
• State’s risk assessments and monitoring for security assistance programs need improvement.
Exclusive: Ukraine's Zelenskiy pushes allies to step up aid and involvement in war
Western allies are taking too long to make key decisions on military support for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Monday.
- He also said he was pushing partners to get more directly involved, opens new tab in the war by helping to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine and allowing Kyiv to use Western weapons against enemy military equipment amassing near the border.
- The call to accelerate aid and push so-called "red lines" of engagement in the conflict reflect the growing pressure Zelenskiy's forces are under along more than 1,000 km of front lines in the northeast, east and south of the country.
An impassioned Zelenskiy, dressed in his familiar khaki T-shirt and trousers, said the situation on the battlefield was "one of the most difficult" he had known since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In recent weeks Moscow's troops have made incursions into northeastern Ukraine, further testing Kyiv's already stretched defences. At the same time, Russia has taken territory in the eastern Donbas region in sometimes fierce battles.
"A very powerful wave (of fighting) is going on in Donbas ... No-one even notices that there are actually more battles in the east of the country, specifically in the Donbas direction: Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar."
He added, however, that the situation north of Kharkiv was now "under control".
The 46-year-old was speaking on the fifth anniversary of his inauguration as president. He has not contested elections because of martial law imposed due to the invasion.
Zelenskiy called again for faster military aid from the United States and other partners. Weapons and ammunition from a recently passed U.S. package is now arriving in Ukraine, but it was delayed for months by internal political wrangling.
.jpg)
"But it is what it is: one big step forward, but before that two steps back. So we need to change the paradigm a little bit."
RISK OF ESCALATION?
Zelenskiy said he wanted his partners to be more directly involved in the war, but understood they were wary of antagonizing Russia.
- "It's a question of will," he said.
- "But everyone says a word that sounds the same in every language: everyone is scared of escalation.
- Everyone has gotten used to the fact that Ukrainians are dying – that's not escalation for people."
He proposed that the armed forces of neighboring NATO countries could intercept incoming Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory to help Kyiv protect itself.
Russia has fired thousands of missiles and drones at Ukraine since the start of the wider conflict, and air defenses are a priority for Kyiv.
"Russians are using 300 planes on the territory of Ukraine. We need at least 120, 130 planes to resist in the sky," he said. Ukraine is waiting for the delivery of U.S.-designed F-16s which have yet to be used in anger.
He said that if countries could not supply the planes straight away, they could still fly them from neighboring NATO states and shoot down Russian missiles.
[1/3]Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Purchase Licensing Rights
The Ukrainian leader also said Kyiv was negotiating with international partners to use their weapons to strike Russian military hardware at the border and further inside Russian territory.
"So far, there is nothing positive," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin would likely view such developments as escalatory.- He casts the war as part of an existential battle with a declining and decadent West which he says humiliated Russia after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 by encroaching on what he considers Moscow's sphere of influence, including Ukraine.
- Zelenskiy reiterated that he had not broken agreements with allies not to use their weapons inside Russia.
Ukraine is gearing up for international talks in Switzerland next month that will exclude Russia and are aimed at trying to unify and harden opinion against Moscow.
Putin has said he believes the talks may convert Ukrainian demands for a Russian withdrawal into an ultimatum for Russia, a strategy he said would fail.
- Zelenskiy said it was crucial to get as many countries around the table as possible.
- "And then Russia will have to answer to the majority of the world, not Ukraine. ... No-one says that tomorrow Russia will agree, but it is important that we have the initiative."
Beijing has yet to say whether it will participate, although Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin met last week in China and pledged a "new era" of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States.
"It is very important that they (China) are there," said Zelenskiy. - "Because in principle, after this summit, it becomes clear who wants to end the war, and who wants to remain in strong relations with the Russian Federation."
"I don't believe that Republicans are against support for Ukraine, but some messages that are coming from their side raise concerns."
Zelenskiy, a former comedian, said he would let others judge his performance as leader of a country at war, but he expressed his gratitude to the Ukrainian people for their stoicism in the face of adversity.
He also insisted that Ukraine could still win the war, despite setbacks in recent months.
"I think we need to walk this path to the end, preferably a victorious one," he said.
"Even though today people look somewhat skeptically at the word 'victory' - I understand it is difficult, because it is long."
Reporting by Mike Collett-White, Dan Peleschuk and Sergiy Karazy;
Additional reporting by Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk; Editing by Tom Balmforth and Hugh Lawson
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment