The New York Times reporting on Ukraine seems inconsistent. It was all about gains and going forward:
- A Brutal Path Forward, Village by Village – New York Times, September 2, 2023
- Ukraine Has Gained Ground But It Has Much Further To Go– New York Times, September 20, 2023
- Another Step for Ukraine: Armored Vehicles Breach Some Russian Defenses – New York Times, September 22, 2023
But a week after the above a different headline appeared:
- Who’s Gaining Ground in Ukraine? This Year, No One. – New York Times, September 29, 2023
That headline is contradicted by the content of the piece.
As Antiwar summarizes:
Russian forces have gained more territory in Ukraine this year than the Ukrainian side despite the Ukrainian counteroffensive that was launched in June, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
The report noted that despite nine months of heavy fighting in Ukraine, only about 500 square miles of territory have changed hands this year. Russia has gained 331 square miles while Ukraine has gained 143, a difference of 188, which amounts to Russia’s net gain in territory so far this year.
Contradicting its headline the NYT graphics department admits as much.
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Russia is fighting a war of attrition:
The Times quoted Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher in war studies at King’s College London, who said Russia appears to be comfortable holding the territory it currently controls rather than seeking rapid gains.
“It’s not losing anything by not moving forward,” Miron said. “The whole strategy in Ukraine is for the Russians to let the Ukrainians run against those defenses, kill as many as possible, and destroy as much Western equipment as possible.”
As the Zelinski regime senselessly continues to push its army against the hardened Russian defense line there is no need for Russia's military to move forward. The numbers and time is on its side. It is Ukraine that has a mobilization problem, not Russia.
This thus will end badly for Ukraine with nothing to gain but likely many more losses.