Ukraine is in a difficult situation, and the United States continues to occupy the wind and fails to receive assistance in a timely manner. Recently, Russian forces have once again captured Maryinka, a key town in eastern Ukraine, and the situation is worrying. According to the Observer Network on December 26**, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin that the Russian army successfully captured Maryinka, which made Putin happy. He praised the success of the Russian army's operation and thanked the soldiers, and then said that he would consult with Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff Gerasimov on the next move. Marinka has been an important defensive area for the Ukrainian army since 2014, where it has built strong fortifications. The Russian army's successful capture of Maryinka is seen as "one of the most significant advances" since the victory of the Mut. However, unlike the vigorous victory of **Mutt, the battle in Maryinka seems to be unknown, and the Russian army "quietly" seized the fortress city carefully constructed by the Ukrainian army after seven or eight years. How exactly did this happen?The reason is very simple, the Ukrainian army is facing a shortage of ammunition and is likely to withdraw on its own initiative.
According to the Washington Post on December 22**, the Ukrainian army suffered a serious shortage of artillery shells on the front line, which not only forced the Ukrainian army to cancel the original offensive plan, but also raised concerns about how long the Ukrainian army could hold out under the counterattack of the Russian army. "For each target, we get a limited number of shells, and if the target is smaller, they will only provide 5-7 shells," the Ukrainian soldiers said. They said in frustration, "How long can we hold out?"It's hard to say, but it can't be too long. Everyone understands this. According to the Russian Satellite News Agency on December 4**, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Zaluzhny, once mentioned the issue of ammunition in front of US Secretary of Defense Austin, saying that in order to liberate all the occupied Ukrainian territories, at least 17 million artillery shells are needed. Austin was also shocked at the time, "because the whole world could not provide such a huge amount of ammunition". The fundamental reason why the Ukrainian army is about to deplete all its ammunition reserves is not because of its own production capacity, but because of the delay in the arrival of Western aid led by the United States. So why is the West slowing down or even suspending aid to Ukraine?This issue has already been mentioned in the original article, and the reasons can be roughly summarized as follows.
Putin's achievements in the Middle East and changes in the international situation may lead to a rapprochement between the United States and Russia. At the same time, the United States is about to hold a **, and the Republican Party has blocked military aid to Ukraine, which has intensified the fierce struggle between the two parties. Ukraine suffered heavy losses in the summer, leading Western countries to realize that aid to Ukraine could be a bottomless pit and therefore reluctant to continue investing. It is for these reasons that Ukraine receives less and less foreign aid, leading to a shortage of ammunition. In the history of warfare, while there have been some genius generals and classic battles that can turn the tide of battle, in reality, most wars are painful wars of attrition. Procrastination only exacerbates this attrition. Ukraine is currently facing a shortage of ammunition, and even holding its positions has become a problem. In the face of a strong counterattack by the Russian army, where should the Ukrainian army go?According to the German newspaper "**" on December 16**, in the absence of military assistance, the General Staff of the Ukrainian army has adjusted its strategy, changing the highest priority from "defending the front line" to "destroying as many Russian troops as possible while minimizing its own losses".
However, since the Ukrainian army could not effectively counterattack and could only retreat in an orderly manner, the General Staff of the Ukrainian army had actually given the order that "it could be withdrawn". In this case, the Russian army succeeded in capturing Maryinka, while Putin emphasized its victory through propaganda in order to boost the morale of the Russian army. However, Putin did not elaborate on the military significance of this victory, saying only that "now our troops have the opportunity to enter a wider area of operations" and plans to discuss "next actions" with Shoigu and Gerasimov. Ukraine**Zelensky made it clear that although the strategic value of Maryinka is not as good as that of **Mutt, if the Ukrainian army continues to face the dilemma of insufficient military aid and ammunition shortage, the first.
Second, the third battle of Maryinka will inevitably take place. He warned that without more assistance, the Ukrainian army will not be able to avoid losing territory and ceding it to the enemy.