- A big offense against Russia could cost more lives than Kyiv can afford to lose, a Ukrainian senior official warns.
- The official told The Washington Post that Ukraine currently lacks the resources to push forward.
As fighting grows deadlier in the eastern city of Bakhmut, another big counteroffensive against Russia could cost more lives than Kyiv's forces can afford to lose, a Ukrainian senior official warned.
The anonymous official told The Washington Post that all hope for a spring counteroffensive will rely on the arrival of Western military aid and trained troops.
Currently, Ukraine doesn't have "the people or weapons" to push forward, the official said, as its most experienced soldiers continue to be killed or injured in battle.
"If you have more resources, you more actively attack," the senior official said. "If you have fewer resources, you defend more."
The official said he's not sure how Ukraine can mount an effective counterattack this spring.
"I'm looking at the resources and asking, 'With what?'"
More than a year into the war, a Ukrainian offensive could be too costly for Kyiv's limited forces. "When you're on the offensive, you lose twice or three times as many people," the official added. "We can't afford to lose that many people."
The comments come after months of bloody battles in eastern Ukraine, where most of the war's fighting has transitioned. Earlier this year, an analysis by the Center for Strategic & International Studies found that both Ukraine and Russia were fighting "a war of attrition" that would grind down their resources, manpower, and ability to launch proper offensives.