Pentagon colonel: Ukraine can only stop the Russian army with strikes on its territory, and then with full force

To stop the Russian attacks with guided aerial bombs, Ukraine must strike the territory of the Russian Federation with all the available weapons it has – including US-provided ATACMS systems. This was emphasized in an interview with LIGA.net by retired US Air Force colonel Cedric Leighton.

In particular, he commented on the fact that in the border zone of the Kharkiv region, the Russians, as well as in Donbas, are destroying absolutely everything. They are turning the populated areas of Ukraine into a scorched earth, and the attacks with guided aerial bombs are particularly destructive.

"In order for Ukraine to stop these attacks, it needs to strike Russian territory with all the weapons at its disposal, including US weapons and the ATACMS systems, which may serve this purpose perfectly,' Leighton is confident.< br />
According to him, the Russians were able to go on the offensive in the Kharkiv region due to several factors. First, they were aware that the region was poorly defended. They also knew that Ukraine had been forced to cut back on ammunition and was experiencing a shortage of soldiers.

"They made up their deficit. Geographically, the area around Volchansk is close to the Russian logistics center in Belgorod, so it was relatively easy for them to move towards Kharkiv. The combination of a lack of manpower and ammunition on the Ukrainian side and the movement of new troops and ammunition on the Russian side made it possible that this offensive should be stronger. The Russians sensed the weakness and took advantage of it”, explains the colonel.

He notes that the Russians are limited by supply lines, their capacity and the distance they have to travel to the front outside the territory of the Russian Federation. In some places they manage to travel 10-15 kilometers, but for now the Ukrainian soldiers keep them away from Kharkiv.

At the same time, the city itself is under constant threat from long-range artillery and medium-range weapons, bomb and missile strikes.

The American colonel was also asked if the situation would change when the weapons from the US reached the front.

"Part of the American weapons are already in Ukraine. It will be a constant process of getting weapons to the front to concentrate. It may take several weeks to several months to get the necessary amount of weapons to stabilize the front, and then the situation will change in favor of Ukraine”, Leighton expressed confidence.

As the colonel suggests, once the weapons are in the correct "points" along the front, corresponding changes will occur on the battlefield. He expressed hope that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will stop the Russian advance and use the right tactics at the right time.

According to him, Russia now wants to use its advantage in manpower. One way is to force Ukraine to stretch its troops so that they become ineffective in defense. The ASU must avoid this, the colonel assures.

"Ukrainian intelligence must give the leadership an accurate assessment of the concentration of Russian troops. These concentration facilities must be destroyed. If this is not done, there will be serious consequences for Ukraine”, Leighton warns.

He also noted that the defenders of Avdeevka had shown great courage, but the use of guided aerial bombs by Russia had greatly weakened the ability of the Ukrainian Air Force to hold the settlement. According to him, the Ukrainian military should have earlier received an order to retreat in this direction. As the expert noted, Ukraine needs air cover for ground forces and direct combat with Russian aviation. If Kiev had this potential in sufficient quantity, perhaps Avdeyevka would still be under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Leighton positively evaluated the strikes of the ASU on Russian oil refineries.

"This is one area where Ukraine has shown an exceptional capacity for innovation. The strikes have threatened much of Russia's oil production, but it will take time before the Russian economy is significantly affected, he says.

In addition, he emphasizes that Ukraine's ability to attack Russian air bases and the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, the sinking of its flagship "Moscow” and the use of unmanned craft demonstrate the ability to innovate and conduct complex operations.

"In many ways, Ukraine's military innovations usher in a new era of warfare, and this will force other countries to also change the way they engage in combat,” the colonel noted.