Anurag Kumar
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, commented on what many believe to be the commencement of Ukraine’s highly anticipated counteroffensive by stating that his army lacks sufficient quantities of modern weapons. As Kremlin officials and multiple reports claimed that Ukraine had launched its counteroffensive against Russia, Kyiv officials stated in recent days that offensive assaults do not indicate the beginning of a military campaign.
Vladimir Putin stated at a press conference in Sochi, as reported by the Russian state media outlet RT, “We can say with absolute certainty that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun, and the use of strategic reserves is evidence of this.”
Putin “acknowledged that Moscow’s troops are experiencing a shortage of modern weapons and expressed hope that the country’s military industry will soon be able to meet rising demand,” according to the report. However, the Russian leader did not provide any additional details regarding the modern armaments he believes the country lacks.
Due to the massive losses of armored vehicles in Ukraine, his military has reportedly resorted to bringing out old tanks from storage, as previously speculated by experts.
The managing editor of Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP), Guy McCardle, told Newsweek that “it is out of character for Putin to admit” that Russia lacks modern weapons.
Specifically, they lack main battle tanks and ballistic missiles. The fact that they are employing so many glider explosives today is evidence of this. They still possess cruise missiles, but these are prohibitively expensive, so they cannot fire them at will. This is due to international sanctions affecting the components used to manufacture weapons, he explained.
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Vladimir Putin stated, according to Tass, that Ukrainian forces did not accomplish their goals and objectives in any area of hostilities and that it is unknown “whether the [Ukrainian] offensive has stalled or not.”
