Ukrainian general admits frontline is 'collapsing' in face of Russian advances

According to the British Telegraph, Ukraine's top general Dmytro Marchenko recently admitted the serious situation on the battlefield as the country's frontline is "collapsing" under pressure from the Russian army.

Speaking in an interview posted on YouTube with a former Ukrainian parliamentarian, the general who successfully commanded the operation to defend Mykolaiv and liberate Kherson in 2022 pointed out many reasons for this situation.

According to General Marchenko, the main factors that weakened the front line include a severe shortage of ammunition, difficult recruitment problems, and limitations in leadership and command. In particular, Mr. Marchenko believes that President Volodymyr Zelensky's "victory plan" is a mistake because it is too dependent on support from the West.

On the ground, the Russian military has made significant progress in taking control of the town of Selydove - a strategic location with a pre-conflict population of about 20,000 people, located between Donetsk and Ukraine's important logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirmed in its latest report that Russian forces have made “tactically significant” advances along the frontline in recent weeks.

The situation became more serious when Emil Kastehelmi, an analyst at the Black Bird Group (Finland), said that the Russian army had penetrated the front line near Selydove over a stretch of about 65 km in "multiple areas" in just a few days.

Against this backdrop, Ukraine is facing a number of challenges in recruiting new soldiers. Despite increased powers for recruiters and tighter regulations, many young Ukrainians now see joining the army as a “one-way ticket to serious injury.”

On the Russian side, its arms supplies are still guaranteed. In contrast, Ukraine has repeatedly complained about delays in receiving artillery and missile aid from its Western allies.

For example, Bloomberg reported on November 1 that President Zelensky told reporters that Ukrainian forces had received only 10 percent of the $61 billion in U.S. aid promised in April, blaming bureaucratic and logistical delays. Zelensky has repeatedly asked the U.S., so far unsuccessfully, to provide long-range weapons that would allow Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia.

A British army commander who has trained Ukrainian soldiers has said the country's military still struggles to adapt to NATO tactics and weapons, despite being equipped with Western weapons systems.