CNN reported on the results of the Pentagon's "war game" in Ukraine
In preparation for the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive on Kherson, the United States urged Kyiv to limit the operation both in terms of targets and geography to avoid overextension and entanglement on multiple fronts.
CNN reports this with reference to numerous American and Western officials, as well as Ukrainian sources.
Those discussions included participation in “war games” with Kiev — analytical exercises designed to help Ukrainian forces understand what levels of forces they need to muster to succeed in different scenarios, CNN sources told CNN.
The Ukrainians initially considered a broader counteroffensive but in recent weeks have narrowed their mission to the south, in the Kherson region, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said.
Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder told CNN that “The United States is engaged in routine military-to-military dialogue at multiple levels with Ukraine. We will not comment on the specifics of these collisions. In general, we provide Ukrainians with information to help them better understand the threats they face and defend their country from Russian aggression. In the end, the Ukrainians make the final decisions for their operations.”
US officials say they believe there is now greater parity between the Ukrainian and Russian militaries.
But Western officials are hesitant to call the Ukrainian offensive in the Kherson region a real “counteroffensive.”
The question of how successfully Ukraine will be able to regain its lost territories remains open to the West, sources familiar with the latest intelligence tell CNN. Ukrainian officials have already said the offensive is likely to be a slow operation as severe winter weather approaches, followed by early spring dry conditions that could lead to a pause in fighting.
However, there is a clear sense among Ukraine's American and Western advisers that the Ukrainian military is on a much more equal footing with Russia than was believed a few months ago, several officials told CNN. At the same time, Russia still retains an advantage in massive artillery.
But the Pentagon believes Ukrainian capabilities, bolstered by modern Western weapons and training, have closed an important gap, officials say, particularly the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, that Ukraine has used in recent months to launch attacks behind Russian lines.
Another US military source spoke more directly to CNN: in his opinion, “Ukraine compensated for Russia’s advantage in the volume of fire with its “competence.”
English version :: Read in English CNN reported on the results of the Pentagon's "war game" in Ukraine.