A large hall, power cables from computers to laptops wind across the floor in all directions, dozens of computer tables on which officers in military uniforms of the armies of Western countries sit, providing communication between their command headquarters and the government. from Ukraine. Approximately so, according to the American media, which had access to the territory of the US military base in Stuttgart, it seems the center where the operational headquarters of the US European Command (EUCOM) works. Its main task is to coordinate Ukraine’s requests for the weapons it needs, their search and delivery at the Ukrainian border. The headquarters is commanded by US General Christopher Cavoli.

Born in 1964 in Würzburg, Germany, to an American military man who served on a US military base in Germany, Cavoli graduated with a degree in Eastern European Studies from Yale University and is a specialist in Eastern Europe and Russia. He is expected to be responsible for strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. The decision to do so was taken after the start of the Russian armed invasion of Ukraine.

EUCOM headquarters was hastily set up after an international conference hosted by the United States at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on April 26 to discuss Russian aggression and further military support for the country under attack. In an article on EUCOM, the Washington Post compared the local atmosphere to “communication between allies during World War II”.

More than 50 states, led by the United States, are currently supplying weapons to Ukraine. For several months, they coordinated political actions within the framework of the so-called contact group, which decided which country would supply Ukraine with certain types of weapons and which would target heavy weapons, such as the American HIMARS artillery mounts or the German and Dutch PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers. , would fall on the Ukrainian front.

Now Russia must react to Ukraine’s actions

German expert Nico Lange believes it was this assistance that largely contributed to the turning point in the war in Ukraine. “The decisive factor of the last few days is that Russia is now forced to react to the statements and actions of the Ukrainians. Until now, it was the opposite: the Ukrainians had to react to everything that Russia did”, says Lange. in an interview with DW. This is confirmed by the adviser to the chief of staff of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak, who in an interview with DW stated that after targeted attacks by the American HIMARS MLRS on Russian ammunition depots and command posts of the Russian army, the area of ​​the bombing of positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the east and south of the country decreased “by five to six times”.

The Russian Army is Fighting to Hold the Ukrainian Occupied Territories

According to an expert on Eastern Europe, Niko Lange, “Russia has now sent significant forces into southern Ukraine – towards Kherson and Zaporozhye, in order to focus on consolidating and maintaining the occupied territories”. Thus, the myth of Russia’s ability to “infinitely increase the level of escalation” is debunked, he says, adding that the Russian army is experiencing “tremendous” military difficulties. “And north of Kharkov, and around Kherson, Russian troops were on the defensive, trying with all their might to hold this territory,” says Lange.

Counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the support of the partisan movement?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been talking about preparations for a counteroffensive in the south of the country for several weeks. “The Ukrainian attack will not be like the attack by Russian troops with their destructive blast of fire,” is certain Lange, an expert on Eastern Europe. , in mobile operations behind enemy lines.”

From time to time, photos with flyers posted in temporarily occupied Kherson appear on Ukrainian social media, in which Russian occupiers are warned of impending retribution. “The Russian occupiers and all who support their regime. We are close – we are already working on Kherson. Death awaits you all! Kherson is Ukraine,” reads the poster.

The partisan movement is also active in the part of the Zaporozhye region occupied by Russian troops – in early July, Ukrainian partisans blew up several railway bridges between Melitopol and Tokmak, and in early August, they damaged the railway in Tokmak. In occupied cities, leaflets appear on the walls of houses, urging Russian invaders to return home or prepare for destruction on Ukrainian soil. “Russian troops have big problems with controlling these territories,” says Nick Lange.

The head of Lugansk’s regional military-civilian administration (OVGA), Sergei Gaidai, reported on Telegram on 4 August that in Belovodsk temporarily captured by Russian troops, guerrillas shot at a car in which there were representatives of the occupation authorities – the “mayor ” of the city and its “deputy”. “Both collaborators were injured,” Gaidai wrote. Attempts by Russian troops to find those who shot at the car with “the people’s mayor and his deputy”, according to Gaidai, came to nothing. “The guerrillas keep the occupiers in suspense in the occupied territories, you never know when and how you will find ‘gentle people’. All Gauleiters are already afraid of their own shadow,” Gaidai said.

It is worth noting that Belovodsk is located deep in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, just 40 kilometers from the Russian border, north of the former line of contact, which from 2014 until the Russian invasion on February 24 this year separated the territory. of the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic” of the Kyiv-controlled part of Donbass. The OVGA chief’s tweet can also be interpreted as a signal to Ukraine’s international partners: the partisan struggle is gaining traction even in the most remote regions of the country.

Ukraine asks for ATACMS missiles

Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to Western allies, in particular the United States, with a request to provide the country with ATACMS missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 300 kilometers. The head of the Cabinet of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, said on August 5 that these missiles “will dampen the desire to terrorize Ukrainians of all USSR 2.0 re-enactors”.

Until now, the United States has opposed the supply of this type of weapon, fearing that the Ukrainian army could use it to hit targets in Russia. The Americans have said they want to see how the Ukrainian army will use the weapons it has already received before it sends in the most modern – even if possible delays cost lives.

In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba likened this US decision-making process to a computer game: “Your task is to move to the next level, but before that happens, you usually die several times.” “. The problem with real life is that Ukrainian soldiers on the front only have one life, Kuleba said in a recent interview with The Washington Post.