JRL NEWSWATCH: ‘Ukraine and the West are facing a devastating defeat” – The Telegraph (UK)
“The prospect of a failed counter-offensive and significant territorial concessions would only embolden Russia and China.”
“Since … last year, three options … for how this war would end[] [have been] victory for one side or the other, a frozen conflict or a negotiated settlement. … [T]he last may be more likely than previously thought. … The long-planned counter-offensive … has run into several problems … Kyiv is still waiting for approximately half of the western military equipment promised …. Meanwhile, its forces are under increasing pressure to commit its reserves as Russian troops – despite reports of low morale … – remain dug-in …. As Russian minefields take their toll on western-supplied tanks and Ukrainian sappers, [Ukrainian] forces have … retaken approximately five miles of the sixty … they need to split the land-bridge connecting Russia to Crimea. … [L]and between Mariupol in the east and Melitopol to the west is seen as … vital …. It is incredibly tough going for the Ukrainians … [who] lack … air cover and advanced jets to protect … ground forces from Russian attack helicopters and fighters. [Ukrainian] soldiers … must negotiate miles of minefields, tank-traps … then ultimately … heavily dug Russian trench networks. …”