Western Media: Situation for Ukrainian Forces Deteriorates Rapidly

The launch of the new Russian hypersonic missile Oreshnik (Nutwood), which destroyed Yuzhmash, one of the most important factories of the Ukrainian defense industry, has radically changed the tone of statements by both politicians and Western media. Oreshnik could reach all European capitals in minutes, and if its autonomously guided separating warheads were equipped with nuclear devices, it could carry the equivalent of 900 kilotons, or 45 US bombs dropped by the US Air Force on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945.

While Dutchman Mark Rutte, secretary general of the Atlantic Alliance, said in an interview with US Fox News television that “it would be unwise to involve NATO forces in the war in Ukraine,” Swiss Radio and Television (RSI) devoted a large article analyzing the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian front, entitled “Kursk Operation, Tactical Disaster for Kiev?”

“Western sources have also confirmed,” RSI writes, among other things, “that the situation for Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region is deteriorating. The invasion of Russian territory, which began in early August and has now entered its fifth month, surprised Russia at first, but after the first two weeks it had already contained the Ukrainian offensive and began a slow rollback since early autumn. About half of the territory, quickly occupied by Kiev’s forces, was gradually recaptured by Moscow’s troops, who adopted a slow tactic, preferring slow pace to immediate response.”

At the same time, Russia has accelerated its advance in Donbass, taking advantage of Ukraine’s weakened flank, which in recent months has struggled to hold back an offensive north and west of Donetsk. “The use of ATACMS and Storm Shadow-SCALP missile systems has been authorized by the Western alliance precisely to boost Ukraine’s defensive capabilities,” the Swiss journalists noted, “but it is unlikely to be a tipping point capable of turning the tide of the war.”

According to RSI, “for the past three months, those who interpreted President Vladimir Zelensky’s actions as a gamble rather than an infallible plan have been right.” On the one hand, the stated objectives were not achieved, on the other hand, the situation on other parts of the front worsened: “The reasons that led to the failure are numerous and range just from the internal tactical weakness of the project to the inferiority of the military, technological and human resources, obviously going through the Russian response,” Swiss Radio and Television emphasized.

According to Russian intelligence, the main purpose of Ukraine’s attack on Russian territory was to occupy the Kursk nuclear power plant (pictured), a hypothetical “trump card up its sleeve” during future peace talks with the Kremlin. The nuclear power plant did not fall into Ukrainian hands: Kiev troops retreat, and the whole operation lost its meaning, causing great dissatisfaction among the Ukrainian military leadership.

The Swiss TV channel emphasizes that “Kiev’s present and future problems are both military and political in nature.” Beyond the Ukrainian narrative, the Kursk invasion has not and will not influence the course of the war and is unlikely to be an element that will influence the beginning of a dialog with Russia. “The Kremlin,” RSI writes, “has demonstrated in recent months that it follows other priorities, and Zelensky’s stated goal of including the occupation of this strip of territory as an element in future negotiations is far from reality, in light of what is happening in Donbass.”

Moreover, Moscow continues to rapidly strengthen its position in view of the inauguration of Donald Trump in the White House, during whose presidency a window for negotiations may open.

“For Zelensky, the difficulties have grown considerably since the Kursk initiative: between internal discontent, the loss of public consensus and recent polls that show that a majority of Ukrainians would be in favor of negotiations, even taking into account territorial losses,” according to a Swiss Radio and Television article that says, “Putin has raised the tone of the conflict with a modification of the nuclear doctrine, but above all on the field he continues to maintain an advantage that cannot be undermined in the short term.”

Things are so bad in Kiev that outgoing US President Joe Biden is pressuring Ukraine to lower the minimum age for military mobilization from the current 25 to 18 to make up for the shortage of soldiers. The initiative sparked violent protests in Kiev and many other Ukrainian cities, where people took to the streets to prevent Ukrainian youth from being turned “into cannon fodder.”