Western media, citing “sources,” said that Ukraine lacks military personnel, losses are growing, and a counteroffensive is “in doubt.” This looks strange, because, referring to specific figures, the journalists did not indicate any names.

Such information should be treated with caution, because it is very sensitive. Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, told Channel 24 about this.

The figures given in the Western media do not correspond to the real ones

Podolyak stressed that the General Staff has specific real figures. They do not correspond to those stated in the Western media, in particular in The Washington Post or Politico.

In addition, when publications talk about Ukraine's losses in the war against Russia, they do not mean irreversible losses, but general ones – along with the wounded or those who have lost the opportunity to fight. Therefore, it is important to see the “source” cited by Western journalists.

For me, it looks strange,” the adviser to the head of the OPU emphasized.

What's Wrong with WP's Statement of Shortage of Military Personnel

As for the shortage of military personnel, if the war is large-scale and protracted, the number of contractors decreases. They may be on rotation, wounded or killed in battle.

A large-scale war expands by the number of people directly involved in it. The front line in the East and South of Ukraine is 1,700 kilometers, so the number of people who are not contract soldiers in our army is increasing.

That is, gradually the army, if it is a long and large-scale war, becomes mobilized – these are the key rules of all major wars. I do not understand why it is necessary to write about this for these publications as something unknown, know-how, – said the adviser to the head of the OPU.

He noted that a similar situation is now in Russia. However, the invaders have completely lost their contract army, and we have a different situation. Ukraine is waging a maneuver-defensive war, therefore, objectively, we have fewer losses than the enemy.

Podolyak criticized the WP article about the “counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in question”: watch the video

Russia prepares for parallel mobilization

Today, Russia has a mobilized army, except for the Wagner PMC and the remnants of the contract army, which are concentrated in the Bakhmut direction. This explains the importance of the defense of Bakhmut, because there the Armed Forces of Ukraine absolutely destroy the remnants of Russian contract soldiers.

“Now Russia will carry out a parallel mobilization. This is a fictitious mobilization, because under the pretext of checking data they will gather people through subpoenas to the military registration and enlistment offices and force them to sign contracts,” Podolyak said.

Thus, the aggressor country will receive only a large unprepared army.

What is the purpose of such informational stuffing

Podolyak noted that such articles from Western publications may pursue the following:

• show not quite understanding of the nature of war by certain media platforms. That is, after a year of war, they do not realize what large-scale wars are. Moreover, they do not take appropriate comments from the Ukrainian side in order to understand what is happening;
• an attempt to indirectly demoralize Ukraine and, after a while, move on to the favorite “toy” of the Russian elite, they say, let's sit down at the negotiating table.

This is strange, in particular, for the American media. This may mean that democracy is not ready to win wars, – said the adviser to the head of the OPU.

So, now we are talking about the victory of either democracy or authoritarianism. So attempts to demoralize a country that is ready to pay the highest price for the freedom of the democratic world are incomprehensible.