The Ukrainian military is in the complex process of preparing an offensive against Russian forces, deploying troops like pieces of a puzzle and will strike at the right time, said the former commander of US forces in Europe, General Mark Gertling.

In a series of posts on Twitter, the US general urged patience, stressing that in the event of such an offensive, one must “go slow to go fast” because it is not a “video game”.

What Mark Gertling said about the Ukrainian offensive

“Discussing the upcoming Ukrainian offensive with a group of government officials, one of them asked me ‘when will it start?’ I replied, “in the attack it starts when the commander thinks it’s time…that’s the advantage of the offensive.”

Then I explained RSOI (Reception, Staging, Onward Movement & Integration). RSOI stands for receive, organize, move forward and integrate.

When units enter a combat zone, they are “hosted” in country, “set up” for the offensive, then “moved” into the combat zone, and then integrated into a larger unit.

What does this have to do with Ukraine, you ask? Remember that the Ukrainian army has received all kinds of different equipment from several countries and is training in various EU training areas to gain new skills in working with this equipment. Some workouts take longer than others, depending on the equipment.

When they graduate from, say, Germany, Poland, Estonia or other countries, they return to Ukraine, where they are “accepted” and “trained” with other types of partner units. Gathering together, they “move” forward, closer to the front line and “integrate” into even larger units.

Now multiply (actions) by about 9 brigades – tank, rifle, artillery, logistics, headquarters, etc. (many of whom are reuniting for the first time) – and it’s easy to see why… it takes just as long. Commanders assess when they are ready.

“This is what the Ukrainian army is doing now”

I once heard a sergeant major say, “RSOI turns piles of puzzle pieces into combat units.” Perfectly said.

By the way, these “pieces of the puzzle” are assembled along the entire front line, which stretches for more than 400 km, in the points of the Ukrainian general’s plan.

A few days ago, Czech President Pavel publicly told Zelensky: “don’t pressure, attack when you’re ready.” I am sure that others said the same thing to General Zaluzhny, the head of the Ukrainian army.

Once a mentor told me (while I was preparing a division for battle): “Go slow to go fast!”.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine will attack when they are ready, at a time and place (or places) of their choosing, and to succeed in an operation to regain sovereign territory, the transition to the offensive requires significant preparation, coordination, and timing. This is not a video game.

In 2007, I had the honor of commanding the 1st Armored Division. We were the first “plug & play” unit…we were deployed with our unit personnel, but all of our combat teams came from 7 different US units and our support units came from 13 different states. The execution of each unit’s RSOI during this “wave” was critical to getting the force into combat.

This is what the Ukrainian army is doing now. Those who want the offensive to begin will have to be patient. It will go slow, then it will go fast.”

Zelensky: “We need a little more time”

We will remind you that this week President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that the Ukrainian army needs some more time before starting a counteroffensive.

“With what we have, we can move forward and be successful. But we would lose a lot of people, and I think that is unacceptable. So we have to wait. We need a little more time,” said the Ukrainian leader.

He said combat brigades, some trained by NATO countries, were “ready” but the army still needed “some things”, including armored vehicles, which were “coming in pieces”.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Musienko said Thursday that supporters of Kyiv understand that a counteroffensive “cannot lead to the complete evacuation of Russian troops and the final defeat of Russia in all occupied territories.”

“We must be prepared for the war to continue next year – or it may end this year. It all depends on how the battles go. We cannot guarantee how the counteroffensive will develop,” Musienko told Radio NV from Ukraine.