in a wider strategic sense, this is very much vladimir putin s calling card, and we have to remember that the g7 was once the g8, and he is the eighth member and he s not there. so they won t have heard the shells landing in bavaria, but that is what the intention was. what prospect is there, what likelihood, that russian control of severodonetsk could mark a turning point in this war? well, this is, or should i say the russian take over of severodonetsk is the latest tactical advance by the russians, towards their more recently stated aim of wanting to get control of donetsk and luhansk provinces, and therefore the whole of the donbas region. that is now their reduced war aim, but having failed, as we all know, in that attack from belarus to kyiv, back in february and march. so their more limited war aim is to get control of donbas, and they are slowly doing so, and they are slowly doing so because they have massive superior firepower from artillery and rockets, massive superiority ov
and luhansk provinces. i don t believe they re going to achieve a whole lot of military success. they are moving very slowly. they are about a week behind schedule in terms of their attack operations. ukraine is showing great capability in countering those forces and as more and more equipment gets to the ukrainian forces in the east, especially those artillery pieces to conduct counter artillery fires, you re going to see more of a stalemate for a long time. s as you talk about more equipment that is to make its way, what are you concerns about its distribution and the training of using these new assets? i don t have a whole lot of, you know, counter to say anything about the training. i think the ukrainian soldiers have shown themselves adaptable. they will be able to train very quickly and learn these devices even though they are advanced technology. what i am concerned about in the east, fred, is the supply lines because you not only have to get
now this has been going on for the while. there s been attempts at cease fire and peace over the years but they re fighting over those two cities in ukraine has never really stopped. more than 14,000 people have died in that conflict since it began. and ever since then those pro russian separatists have maintained that they are the ones rightfully in charge of the donetsk and luhansk provinces in ukraine. those separatists have kept a laboratory, chokehold on a chunk of those provinces we. marked in the map here in pink. and it is into that part of the world today, into that active that vladimir putin just rule . today vladimir putin announced that he was recognizing those two parts of russia controlled by the russian separatists. donetsk and luhansk, putin said he was officially wrapped recognizing those two swaths of ukraine as independent. independent of ukraine.
died in that conflict since it began. and ever since then those pro russian separatists have maintained that they are the ones rightfully in charge of the donetsk and luhansk provinces in ukraine. those separatists have kept a laboratory, chokehold on a chunk of those provinces we. marked in the map here in pink. and it is into that part of the world today, into that active that vladimir putin just rule . today vladimir putin announced that he was recognizing those two parts of russia controlled by the russian separatists. donetsk and luhansk, putin said he was officially wrapped recognizing those two swaths of ukraine as independent. independent of ukraine. again, it should be notice that the separatists do not control the entirety of those to