Top Ukrainian general explains how Kyiv can defeat Russia – five takeaways from his comments
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief has said the war with Russia has reached a stalemate, with neither side able to make a decisive breakthrough.
In an essay for The Economist, General Valery Zaluzhny gave a frank and sobering assessment of how the war is going, stating it is grinding to a geographical and technological deadlock, with both sides finding ways to match the other.
In the newspaper, he set out five areas where Ukraine has to beat the Russians if it is to win the war.
1. Air superiority
Blinding Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and using swarms of cheap drones are two potential tactics outlined by Gen Zaluzhny in order to gain superiority in the skies.
The General said Ukraine needs to use swarms of cheap drones to attack Russian forces, while others act as target simulators to confuse the Russians and make them reveal the location of air defence systems.
He also said using fake radar emissions could be used to make Russian pilots think targets are heavily defended and could use strobe lights to stop Russian UAV pilots seeing at night while anti-drone guns jam their electronics.
2. Breaching Russian minefields
Gen Zaluzhny said some Russian minefields are up to 20km deep, with overhead drones keeping watch and calling in artillery on any Ukrainian units that try to clear them.
The General said his troops could find a way through using modern laser sensors that produce a 3D map of the ground and also floated some more radical ideas.
These included using jet engines from decommissioned aircraft to blow a hole in the minefields.
Cluster bombs and missiles filled with fuel-air explosives might be another way to blow them up, while using tunnelling machines and burrowing robots that could go under the minefields.
3. Electronic warfare
Russia has a vast superiority over Ukraine when it comes to electronic warfare.
The General said Ukraine needs to produce more of its own technology, whilst also using the expertise and data of its allies to get better access to Russian signals traffic.
Gen Zaluzhny also suggested Ukraine's drones need to be used not just for reconnaissance and attack, but as electronic warfare weapons too.
4. Counter-battery fire
Ukraine has been a war of big guns - up to 80% of operations carried out by both sides involve artillery.
Locating the enemy's guns and targeting them before they can move (known as counter-battery fire) has been one of Ukraine's strengths.
Ukraine has been supplied with US-made Excalibur 155mm shells, a smart round that uses GPS to find its target, but the Russians have learned how to confuse its guidance system.
Additionally, Russia is now using Lancet drones to 'illuminate' targets for its guided weapons.
To counter this, Gen Zaluzhny said Ukraine needs to build up its own GPS networks to improve the navigation of precision-guided weapons, with kamikaze drones also needing to be adapted so they can find Russian artillery.
5. Logistics
The General says Ukraine has shown the need to have deep stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, a concept discarded at the end of the Cold War.
Despite sanctions against Russia, he said Russia is still able to produce more of everything, and is increasing production.
While Ukraine is being supplied with large quantities of materiel, it will still take up to two years to dramatically increase production.
In the meantime, Gen Zaluzhny said his forces need to keep hitting Russian warehouses and transport routes to make it harder, and farther, for Moscow to supply its forces.
To do this, he said Ukraine needs missiles with longer range - preferably ones it builds itself.
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