Situation in Ukraine Selensky criticizes the West while Putin burns men to death

Russia's army has made up ground in Kursk as well as in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky is short of personnel and equipment: his tone towards the West is becoming harsher. But Vladimir Putin also has problems.

Volodymyr Selenskyj has nothing to laugh about these days. Last month, the Ukrainian president flew to the USA and visited European capitals to promote his so-called victory plan. However, this mission has been a complete flop.

No wonder: the 46-year-old has demanded an invitation to join NATO, more deterrence from the West and investment in the domestic arms industry. In return, he has invited the exploitation of Ukrainian resources and offered to relieve US troops in Europe in future by replacing them with Kiev's soldiers.

As if Washington had an interest in giving up its foothold in Germany, for example. Nor can Zelensky have really believed that Berlin is eager to replace the soldiers of the nuclear power USA with troops from Ukraine. Perhaps the president has done himself more harm than good with his initiative.

"No confidentiality between the partners"

The mood between Kiev and the West appears to be cooling increasingly. Zelensky appears angry after the New York Times reveals secret details of his plan. According to the article, Kiev has asked for the delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles, among other things.

"It was confidential information between Ukraine and the White House. How are we supposed to interpret these reports?" replies Selensky, annoyed, when asked by Scandinavian journalists. "It apparently means that there is no confidentiality between the partners." The West lets the president off the hook.

The USA and Co. are not lifting the weapons restrictions and are also not supplying long-range ammunition. The West is not even reacting to the North Korean soldiers: "[Putin] is trying out what will happen if he deploys the contingent," complains Selenskyj on South Korean TV. "And then, if nothing happens - and I think the current reaction is zero - he will increase the contingent."

Ceding territory to Russia? "Not feasible"

Ukraine will soon have to fight two armies, the president complains. The country's own armed forces are plagued by many problems: there are too few personnel and there is a lack of equipment to send them to war. This is also noticeable in the West: Kiev is in "survival mode", analyzes the "Economist":"Ukraine is not struggling to win, but [to survive]."

At the same time, the sword of Damocles of the US election hangs over Zelensky and his country: "Whoever becomes the next president, it will have a profound impact on Ukraine's borders and everyone who lives there," says the BBC. "If the aid stops or slows down, the burden will be on the shoulders of the infantry," soldier Andrij is quoted as saying. "We will fight with what we have, but everyone knows that Ukraine cannot do it alone."

"[Trump] has declared that he wants to end the war quickly and find a model to achieve this," Selensky explains combatively. "If he wins and tries to force Ukraine to give up territory in order to make a deal with Russia, I don't see that as feasible."

Russians are being burned mercilessly

And Vladimir Putin? He is plagued by similar problems to Selsnkyi. Russia's army is also short of personnel and equipment, but nations such as Iran and North Korea are stepping in to fill the gaps. This means that the Kremlin can continue to advance - albeit with heavy losses.

More than 1600 injured or killed soldiers in one day, more than 10,000 casualties in one week - and a total of more than 690,000 Russian soldiers have been put out of action since the start of the war, the other side claims. Forbes uses a Russian attack in Kursk to describe how these figures are arrived at.

The soldiers of the 810th Marine Infantry Brigade were sent forward with troop transports in plain sight, although Ukrainian T-64 tanks were waiting for them to destroy the vehicles at close range. "We were sent in as meat," reported a 19-year-old later, who lost his leg in the attack.

40 percent of public spending on the military

These men are not only missing from the army, but also on the home front: Moscow has to walk a tightrope between military might and economic strength. And that comes at a cost: According to "Euronews", the Kremlin spent around 28.3 billion francs on its soldiers between July 2023 and June 2024, which corresponds to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product.

The money was spent on the bereaved or wounded or paid out as wages. Anyone who enlists in the army in St. Petersburg receives a bonus of a good 10,000 francs, in Krasnodar Oblast it is 15,000 francs and in Moscow 18,000 francs. But the monetary reserves are running out: "Russia can't spend so much for much longer," says Foreign Policy.

In 2025, the Kremlin will invest 123 billion francs, or 40 percent of public spending, in the military. "Russia's economy is overheating, but Putin cannot change course," analyzes the Atlantic Council think tank. With interest rates of 21 percent, Moscow is trying to prevent a crash, but it is not certain that Putin has enough financial breath to win the war.

This is the situation on the front

In October, the Russian army created facts on the front, as a comparison of the maps from the 1st and 31st show. Moscow's men had advanced furthest in Donetsk, where the city of Pokrovsk, important for supplies, had not yet been taken. On the other hand, the Russians were able to widen the front and are preparing to encircle the town of Kurakhove.

Chassiv Yar is also an important town for the defenders: the Russians managed to cross the canal, which is so important for the defense, at several points in October.

In the north, the Russians not only advanced further towards the key city of Kupjansk (A). They have also succeeded in advancing as far as the village of Kruhljakivka (B) on the Oskil River and driving a wedge into the front line.

In the Russian oblast of Kursk, the Kremlin forces were able to recapture occupied areas.