Latest on the war between Ukraine and Russia: International arrest warrants issued against former Russian defense minister and high-ranking general | World news

Our senior correspondents and military experts answer your questions about the war in Ukraine.

This week Carmy asked:

Has the Western media given an honest account of Ukraine’s military failures over the past year? I know there were arms shortages and aid delays, but that’s not the whole story, is it?

Military analyst Sean Bell has the following to say…

Thanks for your question, Carmy.

Of course, I cannot speak for all Western organizations, but having worked in newsrooms for several years now, I know that the mainstream media is doing its best to provide an objective assessment of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

For my part, I am not a reporter or journalist, but as a military analyst with nearly 30 years of experience in military operations, I use that experience – and my contacts – to try to provide an objective portrayal of the very dynamic situation on the ground.

However, objective reporting requires access to information, and this is often difficult to ensure in protracted conflicts. Russia consistently denies the damage caused by the Ukrainian attacks – even when there is clear evidence to the contrary – and often tries to mislead the public.

But the mainstream media – and I saw this on Sky News – are working tirelessly to ensure accurate reporting despite the difficulties.

Before we comment on the tactical performance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, context is important.

Russia entered the conflict with a significantly larger army, air force and navy, as well as greater and more modern military capabilities.

Russia also benefited from the element of surprise: it had spent years planning the invasion, whereas Ukraine was assured until the eve of the invasion that Russia had no plans to attack.

Moscow had expected Ukraine to fall within a few days. But more than 800 days later, Ukraine has still not been subdued and Kyiv has expelled Russia from a significant part of the once occupied territories.

Crucially, the Ukrainian military demonstrated outstanding courage, determination and dedication. This was the most important factor in enabling Ukraine to prevail against all odds.

Ukraine knows that it cannot get drawn into a traditional 20th century war of attrition – in the end, the larger Russian mass would prevail.

Therefore, in the midst of a national struggle for survival, Ukraine had to innovate, adapt and experiment. Perhaps it was inevitable that not all Ukrainian initiatives would have produced the desired results, but under the circumstances it is very difficult to call such results “mistakes.”

Ultimately, after this brutal war, books will be written analyzing and dissecting every single element. And then the time will come to judge the respective performances of the combatants and the timeliness and robustness of the West’s response.

In the meantime, I am confident that both sides will analyze their performance on the battlefield, gain experience and develop their tactics accordingly.

In my experience, you learn far more from your mistakes than from your successes.