Ukrainian soldiers confirm Western weapons' power in stalling Russian bombardment
Soldiers on the front lines in eastern Ukraine say sophisticated Western weaponry has stalled Russia's furious bombardment.
The vehicle - a self-propelled artillery piece with a huge barrel pointing south towards Russian-held territory - is a French-manufactured Caesar, one of the growing number of sophisticated Western weapons that can now be spotted moving along country lanes throughout Donbas. The commander of a Ukrainian artillery unit who asked to be known only by his first name, Dmitro, and many others here, believe they are helping to turn the tide against Russia, BBC reports.
With a deafening blast, the Caesar fired the first of three shells at what Dmitro said was a Russian infantry unit and several artillery pieces 27 kilometres (16 miles) away.
"We're much more accurate now. And we can hit them much further away," he said, with a grin. Within a minute, the artillery team had fired two more shells, and the vehicle was already moving away, fast, before Russian artillery had a chance to track its position and return fire.
In recent weeks Ukrainian civilians and soldiers have watched, often gleefully, as drone footage and other videos uploaded to the internet appear to have shown a series of massive explosions in Russian-held territory.
It is widely reported that these are large ammunition stores, kept far behind the frontlines, but now within reach of the newly arrived Western weaponry, including American Himars and Polish Krab howitzers.
"Listen to that silence," said Yuri Bereza, a bearded 52-year-old commanding a volunteer unit tasked with defending Slovyansk. For well over an hour one recent morning, on a visit to a network of defensive trenches east of the city, not a single explosion could be heard.
"That's all because of the artillery you've given us - because of its accuracy," said Bereza. "Before, Russia had 50 gun barrels for everyone we had. Now it's more like five to one. Their advantage is now insignificant. You could call it parity."
But Bereza, like Dmitro, emphasised that Ukraine needed far more Western weaponry in order to launch an effective counter-offensive.
But a lack of weaponry is not the only thing potentially thwarting Ukraine's determination to liberate captured territory. Despite the reduced Russian bombardment, the Kremlin's forces continue to push closer to the strategic town of Bakhmut, raising concerns among Ukrainian forces about a lack of manpower and training.
For now, Western governments have refused to send officials, or contractors, into Ukraine to help with military recruitment and training efforts. A handful of private organisations are operating here, independently.
"It's a drop in the ocean. But it makes a difference, on a small scale," said Andy Milburn, a retired US Marine colonel, as he watched a training session.
He stressed that his Mozart group had "zero" contact with, or support from, the US government, but he criticised Western nations for a "squeamish" and "short-sighted" refusal to engage more directly.
"It's ridiculous. But these guys have lost so many people that they just don't have [enough Ukrainian instructors]," he said. "The West needs to plan for that now."
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