Belgian expert says battlefield in Ukraine has become fully “transparent”
During the summer months, neither side in the war will be capable of conducting genuine operational-level maneuvers, partly due to the “transparency” of the battlefield.
Belgian defense expert Roger Housen made this statement in an interview with Ukrinform.
“Neither the Russians nor the Ukrainians will be able to really push back their adversaries. It's a combination of the lack of manpower and armored capabilities on the Ukrainian side, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery to really push back Russians; and on Russia’s side it's also a matter of being faced with strong defenses in combination with the kill zone that is defended by unmanned systems,” the expert believes.
The fact that the battlefield has become completely “transparent,” the expert explained, is the main obstacle to launching large-scale offensives—“now neither side is truly capable of doing so.”
He emphasized that instead, the “center of gravity” that Ukraine is targeting is the Russian military-industrial complex, as well as the aggressor state’s oil and gas infrastructure.
“That's really the way to force Putin to come to the negotiating table,” Housen concluded.
As reported by Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that a ceasefire will not work without an effective monitoring mechanism, as Russia could exploit no-man’s-lands along the front line.
Earlier, Zelensky stated that during the talks in Abu Dhabi, the U.S. agreed to participate in monitoring compliance with the ceasefire once an agreement on its implementation is reached.
Photo courtesy of Roger Housen