General Mark Hertling, the former commander of US forces in Europe, says the decision by Ukrainian forces to launch a counteroffensive on Kherson was “brilliant” and that the conditions are in place to see large numbers of Russian prisoners taken in the coming weeks.

Hertling says the Kherson Pocket, a scaled-down version of the World War II Falaise Pocket, is an interesting operational counteroffensive because the Kherson region is vital to the Ukrainians’ fight to reclaim the south of the country.

The American general, who commanded the army of the United States of America – Europe between 2011 and 2012, reminds that there is also the M14 route, which starts from the Russian city of Rostov and connects it with Mykolaiv and Odesa before going to the Republic of Moldova. through Kherson.

To the east is the Zaporizhzhia region, where in recent days Ukrainians have struck Russian ammunition depots and transport routes, and to the south is Crimea.

Gertling reminds that a few weeks ago, the Armed Forces of Ukraine began “operations to form” Russian troops, that is, actions aimed at counteracting the ability of the invading forces to maneuver.

Ukraine used HIMARS and long-range artillery systems, special forces, coordinating actions with Ukrainian partisans in the territories occupied by Russia to strike in the enemy’s rear.

“When the enemy is on the defensive and trying to consolidate its gains, Ukraine can strike at the time and place it chooses. This is the advantage of crime,” explains Gertling on his page Twitter.

He also says that both HIMARS strikes and effective special forces are contributing to the offensive, as they not only destroy and “shape” Russian forces to make them more vulnerable to attack, but they also affect the morale of the invasion force. killing a large number of Russian soldiers and destroying a large amount of military equipment.

The American general mentions the Russian troops “with their backs to the river”

“All this contributes to greater freedom of maneuver for Ukraine, even with smaller forces. So, as a commander, what would I do with this small force? The same thing I would do with artillery: target key enemy elements. By attacking targets that are most vulnerable,” says the American general.

By the way, the Ukrainian strikes of the last few days indicate that the Kyiv troops are trying to do just that through attacks aimed at isolating and blocking the retreat routes of Russian soldiers on the left bank of the Dnieper.

Hertling says that after the Ukrainians managed to stop Russia’s advance in Donbas, launching their own counteroffensive in Kherson Oblast, where large numbers of Russian forces have their backs to the river and supply lines, was a brilliant decision for several reasons. limited.

“Weak Russian leadership threw many battalions across the Dnipro because Putin wanted the cities of Kherson, Mykolaiv and, finally, Odesa. But there are only two bridges across the Dnipro on the M14 highway. If these bridges and logistics are destroyed, isolated troops become a problem for Russia,” the American officer explains.

He also reminds that in recent days, Ukraine used the HIMARS systems received from the United States precisely to attack these bridges, including the Antoniv bridge – the largest across the Dnipro – simultaneously with the attack on Russian troops.

Favorable conditions for taking a large number of Russian prisoners in Kherson

Hertling says there is heavy fighting in the towns of Visokopyla, Arkhangelsk and Potemkino, and there are signs that Russian troops are retreating to the Berislav bridgehead, but it will be very difficult for them to cross the Dnieper to escape if the bridges are out of order. due to strikes

“Ukraine is targeting key Russian forces, causing confusion among Russian forces that already have very low morale and poor leadership, in addition to relatively few combined forces (tanks, infantry, artillery, engineers, logistics, etc.). All this at a time when the Russian battalions have exhausted their limited supplies,” says Mark Hertling, adding that the conditions are in place to see large numbers of Russian prisoners in the coming weeks.

However, the American general says that the matter does not end there, because according to preliminary data, Ukrainian troops launched an offensive across the Siverskyi Donets River and captured the village of Ozerne. This is also reminded by the US Institute for the Study of War in the latest assessment of hostilities in Ukraine.

“Although this is a relatively small victory, Ukraine’s actions in Donbass came after Russia withdrew its forces to send them south, and this action once again demonstrated Ukraine’s strong offensive spirit,” Gertling said.

The American general succinctly summarizes the conclusions reached 7 days after the start of the offensive on Kherson last Monday:

• in the coming weeks, we should expect a slow advance of Ukrainian forces;

• Ukrainian troops showed skill and offensive spirit;

• The military leadership of Russia is in a difficult position (whether to withdraw additional troops from Donbas to send them to Kherson).

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