Ukraine says will create chaos 'within Russian forces' by hitting invaders' supply lines

As the brutal Moscow-Kyiv war continues unabated, the adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is currently engaging in a counteroffensive to create disorder within Russian forces by attacking the invaders' supply lines deep inside the captured territory. Mykhailo Podolyak told the Guardian that the "next two or three months" may see additional assaults like last week's attack on Russian warplanes at the Saky airfield in Crimea as well as Tuesday's strikes on a railway junction and an airbase in the region. 

Podolyak asserted while speaking from the President’s offices in Kyiv, “Our strategy is to destroy the logistics, the supply lines and the ammunition depots and other objects of military infrastructure. It is creating chaos within their own forces.” 

In the Dzhankoi district of Crimea, according to Russia, explosions at a munitions depot were reportedly caused by a fire on Tuesday. Referring to the incident, Podolyak said that this occurrence serves as a reminder that “Crimea occupied by Russians is about warehouse explosions and high risk of death for invaders and thieves," The Guardian reported. However, Ukraine has not acknowledged the responsibility for the assault.  

Furthermore, a series of powerful explosions at Russian military airbase in the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea on Tuesday resulted in one fatality and several injuries, citing local officials, CNN reported. In videos, large clouds of smoke could be seen rising into the air from the area. According to Russian official media RIA Novosti, the Russian military ministry said that the explosions were caused by aircraft munitions that had been detonated.  Meanwhile, Moscow's defence ministry said it has been handling 'sabotage' cases and taking "necessary measures" to stop such incidents. 

A 'Ukrainian counteroffensive' looks highly different from Russia: Mykhailo Podolyak

Besides this, the adviser, who is frequently referred to as the third-most powerful person in Ukraine, claimed that Kyiv's strategy has been in opposition to Moscow's blunt use of artillery power to gain territory in the Donbas region to the east, where Russian troops have destroyed cities like Mariupol and Sievierodonetsk in order to do so. 

Podolyak remarked that while a 'Ukrainian counteroffensive' looks highly different, Russia has kind of taught everyone that a counteroffensive takes enormous numbers of personnel like a massive fist and simply move in one way. “We don’t use the tactics of the 60s and 70s, of the last century”, he added. 

In addition to this, on top of his current armament of roughly 20, Podolyak requested "50, 60, 80 additional" MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems), 16 of which are truck-mounted Himars provided by the United States. 

Podolyak stated that Ukraine aimed to weaken the invaders' strength via "lack of supplies and lack of ammunition," which would make Russians fight as they did during the opening months of the conflict. The Guardian reported that this goal has been aided by the long-range missiles provided by the west.  

(Image: AP)