Russia war in Ukraine - Considerations

Doctoral candidate and guest teacher at the London School of Economics's international history department

13 May 2024 3 4

Franz-Stefan Gady

Inserted 6 days ago

“The Russians have understood, just as a lot of analysts have, that the major disadvantage that Ukraine is currently suffering from is manpower. By thinning out the frontline, you are increasing the odds of a breakthrough.”

Nytimes

Vienna-based military analyst

12 May 2024 4 4

Volodymyr Zelenskiy

Inserted 1 week ago

“It is important that partners support our soldiers and Ukrainian stability with timely supplies. Really timely. The package that really helps is the weapons brought to Ukraine, not just the ones announced.”

President of Ukraine

11 May 2024 2 2

John Kirby

Inserted 6 days ago

“It is possible that Russia will make further advances in the coming weeks, but we do not anticipate any major breakthroughs, and over time, the influx of U.S. assistance will enable Ukraine to withstand these attacks over the course of 2024.”

National Security Council spokesman

10 May 2024 1 1

Theresa Fallon

Inserted 2 weeks ago

“Many people would like to see China play a constructive role, but I think now that we're in the third year of the war, this idea is wearing a bit thin.”

Director of the Brussels-based Center for Russia Europe Asia Studies

03 May 2024 1 2

David Cameron

Inserted 2 weeks ago

“We will give three billion pounds every year for as long as is necessary. We've just really emptied all we can in terms of giving equipment. The aid package was the largest from the UK so far. Some of that (equipment) is actually arriving in Ukraine today, while I'm here. Ukraine has a right to use the weapons provided by London to strike targets inside Russia, and that it was up to Kyiv whether to do so. Ukraine has that right. Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it's defending itself.”

UK Foreign Secretary

03 May 2024 3 3

Jens Stoltenberg

Inserted 2 weeks ago

“For months the U.S. was unable to agree a package and European allies have been unable to deliver ammunition at the scale we promised. Ukraine has been outgunned for months and forced to ration its ammunition.... More support is on the way.”

Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

29 Apr 2024 5 3

Volodymyr Zelenskiy

Inserted 2 weeks ago

“Timely support for our army. Today I don't see anything positive on this point yet. There are supplies, they have slowly begun, but this process needs to be sped up. Promptness in supply literally means a stabilization of the front line.... Together we must disrupt the Russian offensive.”

President of Ukraine

29 Apr 2024 3 3

Dmitry Peskov

Inserted 2 weeks ago

“On the Ukrainian side, the panic is growing on the frontline. And this is first-hand information that there, on that side, the panic is growing. It is very important for us now to maintain this dynamics. It is very important not to stop and continue fulfilling [the tasks of the special military operation].”

Tass

Kremlin spokesman

28 Apr 2024 2 3

Oleksandr Syrskyi

Inserted 2 weeks ago

“In general, the enemy achieved certain tactical successes in these areas [villages of Berdychi and Semenivka, north of Avdiivka, and Novomykhailivka, near the town of Maryinka], but could not gain operational advantages.”

Ukraine’s commander of ground forces

28 Apr 2024 5 3

Nikolay Mitrokhin

Inserted 3 weeks ago

“The aid is a surprisingly exact match of Ukrainian military's needs that mostly has a deficit of air defence weaponry of all kinds and also needs to replenish its arsenal of tank destroyers, anti-infantry landmines and other kinds of ammunition. It's obviously needed to deliver infantry and other ground troops to the front line but not for an advance - otherwise the US would have given tanks.”

Research Fellow at Bremen University

25 Apr 2024 6 5

Ihor Romanenko

Inserted 3 weeks ago

“The aid can improve the situation on the 1,000km-long (620-mile-long) front line. But the aid looks like a handout to show that we haven't been forgotten, no more than that. They're always late, they hit the brakes, they're afraid. All of that is done to catch up [with Russia], but wars are won by those who act ahead of time.”

Lieutenant General - Former deputy chief of Ukraine’s general staff of armed forces

25 Apr 2024 4 3

Nikolay Mitrokhin

Inserted 3 weeks ago

“The return of Crimea is absolutely unrealistic. Before the failure of Ukraine's counteroffensive last summer there was a chance to return the annexed peninsula had Ukrainian forces reached the Azov Sea and started shelling the Crimean bridge and the Kerch Strait that divides the Azov and Black seas. But now it's hardly real to penetrate Russian defence farther than the takeover of the Kinburn peninsula.”

Research Fellow at Bremen University

24 Apr 2024 9 4

Sergei Shoigu

Inserted 3 weeks ago

“In proportion to the threats posed by the United States and its allies, we will continue to improve the composition and structure of the armed forces and increase the production of the most popular weapons and military equipment. We will increase the intensity of attacks on logistics centres and storage bases for Western weapons.”

Aje

Russian Defence Minister

23 Apr 2024 5 3

Kyrylo Budanov

Inserted 3 weeks ago

“According to our assessment, we are anticipating a rather difficult situation shortly. However, it is not catastrophic, and this must be understood. Armageddon will not happen, despite what many are starting to claim. But we anticipate problems from mid-May. The Russians will adopt a multifaceted approach. They are orchestrating a complex operation... It will be a difficult period. [Expect this to unfold] around mid-May to early June.”

Kyivpost

Head of Ukraine's military intelligence service

22 Apr 2024 3 3

Viktor Orbán

Inserted 3 weeks ago

“In Europe the atmosphere is war, politics is dominated by the logic of war. I see everyone preparing for war. We are one step away from the West sending troops to Ukraine. This is a vortex of war that could push Europe into the abyss. Brussels he is playing with fire. We Hungarians know what war is like. We've been involved enough times. We don't want war and we don't want Hungary to become a playground for the great powers again. This is why we must fight for peace - at home, in Brussels, in Washington, at the United Nations and in NATO.”

Agenzianova

Prime Minister of Hungary

21 Apr 2024 8 3

Volodymyr Zelenskiy

Inserted 4 weeks ago

“Just this year Ukraine had been attacked by almost 1,200 Russian missiles, more than 1,500 drones and 8,500 guided bombs amid a slowdown in Western military assistance. We are telling this directly - to defend, we need seven more 'Patriots' or similar air defence systems, and it's a minimum number. They can save many lives and really change the situation.”

President of Ukraine

19 Apr 2024 6 3

Ben Hodges

Inserted 4 weeks ago

“Since the fall of Avdiivka in Ukraine's east on February 17 [2024], its forces have oozed forward, swallowing several villages, as Ukrainian forces have performed tactical retreats. Here we are in April [2024], and [the Russians] are oozing out. Why is that? I think it's because that's the best the Russians can do. They do not have the capability to knock Ukraine out of the war. Russia lacked the ability to equip large armoured formations that could move rapidly, with supporting artillery, engineers and logistics. I don't think it exists. That's why I feel fairly confident that the mission for [Ukrainian] general Oleksandr Syrskyi for the next several months is to stabilise this as much as he can to buy time for Ukraine to grow the size of the army, to rebuild the defence industry of Ukraine, as well as give us time to find more ammunition for them. I think of 2024 as a year of industrial competition. So the army has got to buy time.”