Former CIA chief Petraeus: Russia has competently built its defense against the Ukrainian Armed Forces – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

He believes that no one has really realized or appreciated the depth of the Russian Armed Forces’ minefields. “Russia really built its defense very correctly, numerous lines, etc.,” he said (quoted by RIA Novosti).

Petraeus added that Ukraine “certainly didn’t achieve everything I expected” during its summer offensive. In his opinion, an important reason was the delay in the Ukrainian Armed Forces receiving weapons from the West, mainly aviation.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky admitted that the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not achieve results. The media reports that the morale of Ukrainian soldiers and their trust in the authorities is falling due to failures on the front.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the six-month counteroffensive amounted to more than 125 thousand people.