Ukraine updates in English

[US7IGN]

Today I noticed that during the day there was no air alert in Kyiv. But the siren turned on right now.

Terrorists dropped a bomb on Kurakhovo https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/rosiyani-skinuli-aviabombu-tsentr-kurahovogo-1709474988.html near the front, which will be the next Avdiivka. Avdiivka is now being bombed by the Ukrainian military. I have been to this unfortunate city many times, but for some reason I remembered how it looks from above. Planes landed at the Donetsk airport near Avdiyivka, and especially in the dark it was clearly visible how brightly the yellow-red torch of its coke-chemical plant burns.

In Odessa, the body of a 10-year-old boy was found from under the rubble of the destroyed entrance of a high-rise building. Rescuers are also trying to unblock the body of an 8-year-old girl. The number of dead after the russian strike increased to 12 people. https://hromadske.ua/posts/v-odesi-zrosla-kilkist-zhertv-pislya-rosijskogo-udaru-z-pid-zavaliv-distali-tilo-she-odniyeyi-ditini

pootin sent his spies to the West under the guise of fugitives from mobilization, writes The Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/russians-keep-turning-up-dead-all-over-the-world-6acc8990?mod=Searchresults_pos3&page=1. It seems that in the West they will never understand that there are no good russians. Even if they really escaped, the FSB will always find a way to intimidate them or buy them and use them for their own purposes.

The Chinese envoy is on his second trip to Europe promoting a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, a tour that will also include Poland, Ukraine and Germany. China is ready to "continue its efforts to promote peace talks, mediate and build consensus among Russia, Ukraine and other relevant parties, and promote a final political settlement of the Ukraine crisis," China's foreign ministry said in a readout from the meeting. https://www.reuters.com/world/moscow-says-russia-china-agree-that-russia-must-be-present-ukraine-talks-2024-03-02/

Turkey hopes talks for a ceasefire in Ukraine will start soon, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday, at the end of a diplomatic forum in the southern city of Antalya. Fidan met his russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Friday on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. He told reporters he had discussed a number of issues with Lavrov, including Ukraine.
"On the issue of Ukraine, our view is that both sides have reached the limits of what they can get by war. We think that it is time to start a dialogue for a ceasefire," Fidan said.
"That doesn't mean recognising the occupation (by russia), but issues of sovereignty and ceasefire should be discussed separately."
https://www.reuters.com/world/turkey-hopes-ukraine-ceasefire-talks-can-start-soon-2024-03-03/

I see the intensification of the diplomatic efforts of russia's allies against the background of statements by the leaders of Western European leaders about further support for Ukraine. But this complex and multi-level political game gives hope for some solution other than the final destruction of Ukraine.

As the throne wobbles more and more under Zelensky, he and his entourage try to maintain power by calling any criticism a russian disinformation campaign. This point of view is supported by Bloomberg journalists. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-03/ukraine-braced-for-russian-disinformation-attacks-on-zelenskiy Well, maybe they should come to Ukraine and live here for a while. However, money has no smell.

[US7IGN]

Today, despite the good weather, there is a strong solar storm and I feel so bad that I went to rest during the day and quietly fell asleep. There is no propagation and I even missed talking to Colin. Reading the news again did not bring anything good.

A series of swift russian advances have challenged Ukraine’s new line of defense set up after their withdrawal from the key town of Avdiivka and are raising fears about Kyiv’s tactics and momentum on the front lines. The russian advances come in the face of a deep crisis in munitions for the Ukrainian military, creating a near-existential debate for frontline troops who must ration ammunition and are questioning how long they can withstand russian pressure.
In another sign of the mounting sense of unease, the new commander of the Ukrainian military, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, twice in the past week scolded his subordinate officers for poor performance on this key front line. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/04/europe/russia-ukraine-vulnerable-defenses-avdiivka-intl/index.html

From what I hear from others, there are practically no lines of defense. Well, at least the ones that would have been done professionally and not dug up by soldiers with shovels. They say because no civilian contractor wants to deal with government contracts. You won't necessarily get money, but you are guaranteed to get a variety of problems. The state is also in no hurry to do this on its own, although previously a large amount of construction equipment was purchased for large-scale road construction. Apparently it continues to build roads. As Zelensky said before the invasion in 2022: “In addition to theoretical things, calls, laws, parliamentary resolutions, there is a very pragmatic story. We can increase the army by two or three times, but then, for example, we will not be able to build roads. This is a problem for us.” https://censor.net/ru/n3317208

I don’t know how swearing and replacing subordinate officers will help compensate for the lack of fortifications and weapons.

In USA the Supreme Court on Monday handed a sweeping win to former President Donald Trump by ruling that states cannot kick him off the ballot over his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — bringing a swift end to a case with huge implications for the 2024 election. By deciding the case on that legal question, the court avoided any analysis or determination of whether Trump's actions constituted an insurrection. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-trump-cannot-kicked-colorado-ballot-rcna132291.

In Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, senior officials believe that the big powers in Western Europe still hold an unfair bias against them, in particular given their tough positions toward russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The view in the region of russia as an existential threat is often interpreted by their Western counterparts as hawkishness. https://www.politico.eu/article/nato-eastern-european-union-rutte-secretary-general-commission-russia-ukraine-war-defense/

[US7IGN]

Government reform is planned in Ukraine. The changes will involve the reduction of ministries by a third. Such a statement was made by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at a press conference on March 4. According to the official, the Cabinet of Ministers is currently working on changing the format of the government. Shmygal added that 20,000 vacancies have already been cut. Also, according to him, work is underway to create the so-called Government Center, which will combine auxiliary and administrative functions. https://trueua.info/news/shmigal-anonsuvav-skorochennya-tretini-ministerstv

Previously, such reforms always ended with renaming and in fact the appearance of even more officials, but this time it is obviously a forced measure due to lack of money.

Also, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, said that the Cabinet of Ministers will allocate additional funds to finance the country's defense needs. They plan to "find" the money through an audit and verification of expenses. https://war.hvylya.net/uk/288828-mobilizaciya-i-novoe-nastuplenie-gde-kabmin-planiruet-nayti-sredstva-na-finansirovanie-vsu

Since the beginning of this year, Ukrainians have been withdrawing their money from banks. Although it is only a few percent compared to what remains on bank deposits, the outflow of money is measured in tens of billions of hryvnias. Seasonality, which will soon pass, and the monetization of all negative forecasts regarding the situation at the front and in the economy are cited as reasons.
The end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 were marked by several initiatives of the government and parliament, the introduction of which may strengthen the state's control over the incomes and accounts of citizens, or even mean their blocking altogether. The outflow of deposits could also be connected with the new bill on mobilization.
So far, these are only plans, but even their presence in the authorities and the fact that similar initiatives continue to appear, may affect the desire of Ukrainians to "show" their income on bank accounts. However, they can be guided by a tactic that is more understandable and proven by decades of crises and instability - to convert the hryvnia into foreign currency.
That is, at the beginning of 2024, the population and businesses withdrew hryvnias from their bank accounts and used them to buy dollars and euros. People are so used to saving an extra penny against devaluation for "a bad day", and businesses need currency for imports.  In 2023, Ukraine imported almost twice as much as it exported. And in 2024, the cost of imports may increase due to problems with the passage of goods on the western borders of Ukraine, primarily with Poland. In January 2024, the net acquisition of cash foreign currency by the population (the difference between sales and purchases) was a record 0.9 billion dollars. In 2023, up to 20 million Ukrainians out of the 30-31 million who are currently in the territory controlled by Ukraine will live in poverty and on less than $200 a month. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/cgx5qdk148lo

[N0TZU]

In Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, senior officials believe that the big powers in Western Europe still hold an unfair bias against them, in particular given their tough positions toward russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The view in the region of russia as an existential threat is often interpreted by their Western counterparts as hawkishness. https://www.politico.eu/article/nato-eastern-european-union-rutte-secretary-general-commission-russia-ukraine-war-defense/

In my view, the more "doveish" attitudes of Western Europeans also has consistently been directed toward the US and NATO. This promotes among some the (incorrect) perception that we shouldn't bother with defending Europe since they don't think they are threatened, and don't want to pay for their share of defense in any case. Putin, and his admirer Trump, exploit this to the nth degree.

I hope you will feel better tomorrow.

[N0TZU]

In USA the Supreme Court on Monday handed a sweeping win to former President Donald Trump by ruling that states cannot kick him off the ballot over his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — bringing a swift end to a case with huge implications for the 2024 election. By deciding the case on that legal question, the court avoided any analysis or determination of whether Trump's actions constituted an insurrection. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-trump-cannot-kicked-colorado-ballot-rcna132291.

This result was widely expected, if for no other reason, because of the electoral chaos that would ensue if each state could make such a determination.

[US7IGN]

We will soon find out how the world will react to the results of the primaries, and today the weather is the same as yesterday, but I feel better. Again there is no propagation and I am writing a book, soldering a little, watching professional webinars and of course I had my morning walk.

At night, another terrorist ship was sunk near Crimea. The situation with Crimea is quite complicated. Germany, the United States and Britain continue to discuss the consequences of a leaked conversation (which was published by russia) between high-ranking officers of the German armed forces, during which they could talk about the prospect of missile strikes on the Kerch bridge in Crimea, the training of the Ukrainian military and the presence of Western military on the territory of Ukraine. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c72kly9glppo
I do not rule out that this could be a joint affair of the special services of Germany and russia, since it is obviously in favor of russia (making the conversation public allows the Kremlin to destabilize the situation, the leak embarrasses Berlin and could cause a rift in German society as well as among the Allies), and also gives Germany (in the person of its chancellor Scholz) another reason to refuse to provide its Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

The problem of lack of weapons is objective and global, although now Ukraine suffers the most because of it. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c3g4lr45v3lo
Today I heard that shells appeared again at the Ukrainian artillerymen. But this information is not confirmed and the map with the front line will show everything in the near future. I haven't watched it in recent days because I don't want to get upset.

There were no air alarms today and this day can be considered good.

[ke6sls]

Good to keep reading your updates Wlad.

Is there a "notification" button that will send me a message when new posts on this thread?

Today I am meeting with fellow ham who lost his home to fire last year.  This week he was able to revive two HT's and has ordered a new mobile vhf/uhf radio.  I helped him select a high gain dual band antenna.  I told him I have coax!  My friend two years ago died, and I ended up with a new roll of low loss coax--so this will help my friend build a home station.  I also have tower sections so he can put it up at his new house, but will also be great to run and EFHW HF.  I'm going to urge him to get his general class.  Test is about 10 days away, but he is sharp and I know he can cram study and pass the test.

Glad you are feeling better my friend.  My surgery is still healing (from January) and pain is less each day now.

Have been busy helping my radio club and catching up on so many things I set aside in January, so I haven't had hardly ANY time on HF during daylight with DX is good. . .

We've had over 3' (3 meters) of rain since 1Oct2023!  Today, no rain and I hope we can dry out a little bit.  My back yard is more of a pond than a grassy yard!

73
Jaye

[US7IGN]

Hi Jaye!
It is good to hear from you! I wish you a quick recovery!

This forum is old and primitive without any support, but it looks like there is a notification function here. I've highlighted the button.

You have a lot of news, but be careful with your activity until you recover from your illness. I hope, thanks to you, our community will be replenished with another radio amateur. Good job!

In Ukraine, the number of radio amateurs has decreased significantly and it does not seem that it will increase. This is a completely unrepresentative sample, but it shows the dynamics of changes in the number of participants from Ukraine in CQ WW CW.
2023 - 174
2022 - 93
2021 - 302
2020 - 302
2019 - 315
2014 - 311
2013 - 360
2012 - 336

[US7IGN]

It got colder again and today there was an air raid warning in Kyiv. When there is a threat of a ballistic missile attack, an air raid alert is sounded throughout the country because no one knows where exactly it will strike. This time again in Odessa. The strike destroyed another terminal in the port, but on the same day Zelensky was in Odessa with the Prime Minister of Greece, who was shown a previously destroyed residential building. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68492688

Of course they decided that they were the target. I’m not sure about this, because there is no point in the russians killing Zelensky because each next president will be a worse option for them.

Farmer protests continue in Poland, although I have doubts that these are real farmers and not slackers hired by the russians. Real farmers are now working in the fields.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants to discuss how to end Russia’s war on Ukraine this week with former US President Donald Trump in Florida, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.
Orban, the Kremlin’s closest ally in the European Union, held up aid from the bloc for Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion, while maintaining cordial relations with Vladimir Putin. The prospect of another Trump presidency has raised concerns among European leadership, including Ukraine’s, about the EU’s ability to respond to the war and Russian influence.
Orban has been trying to curry favor with Trump, seeing his return to the White House as a way to ease Hungary’s diplomatic isolation after disputes with NATO and EU allies brought pressure from the Biden administration and a group of bipartisan US lawmakers. The meeting with Trump will also focus on bilateral ties between Hungary and the US, Szijjarto said.
Talks to end the war are inevitable because “Kyiv can’t defeat Russia,” and “Russia can’t defeat the entire West,” Szijjarto said in an interview with state-run Russian media service RIA Novosti on Wednesday. While Orban has called for an immediate cease-fire, he’s offered no other plans for bringing the war, already in its third year, to an end. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-06/hungary-s-orban-wants-to-discuss-ukraine-with-trump-in-florida

Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first lady, declined an invitation from the White House to attend Thursday’s State of the Union address, forgoing one of Washington’s most dignified events and underscoring the complicated politics facing her war-torn country. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/05/state-of-the-union-olena-zelenska-yulia-navalnaya/

According to one version, Zelenskaya did not want to be at this event together with Navalna, who also refused to participate in this event, and according to another version, this is a consequence of the attempts of the Ukrainian authorities to find a common language with Trump and the reluctance to irritate him by maintaining relations with Biden. In any case, this is another diplomatic failure.

[US7IGN]

It seems that the main news of the day today is the appointment of Zaluzhny as ambassador to Great Britain. https://tsn.ua/ukrayina/kuleba-prokomentuvav-priznachennya-zaluzhnogo-poslom-rishennya-yake-vidpovidaye-interesam-ukrayini-2530108.html

The leadership of the country and the army talk about defensive structures and even about preparations for another counteroffensive, but the residents of the frontline cities are leaving them. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68493215

In the West, digging trenches by soldiers is also considered not effective enough. Especially taking into account the fact that soldiers are forced to do this instead of fighting. https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraine-enters-new-phase-of-war-with-russia-dig-dig-dig-3bd24f73?mod=hp_lead_pos7

For the first time in the third year of the full-scale war, a video of how the russian invaders destroyed the Ukrainian M142 HIMARS missile and artillery system appeared. https://censor.net/ua/r3477237
Thus, distances of approximately 40 km from the front line can no longer be considered safe.

Tonight, at 01:35, the domain name registrar Network Solutions suddenly and without any warning blocked the ukr.net domain. As a result, the UKR.NET news feed and @UKR.NET e-mail became unavailable to Internet users. By the evening, its work was resumed, but this is the largest news aggregator site and e-mail provider in Ukraine, and this again raises the question of how confident one can be in the Internet and electronic communications, on which the whole modern world is holding on.

[US7IGN]

Today was a difficult day and I was very tired. International Women's Day is still a popular holiday in Ukraine and I wrote a lot of messages to lady friends.

I finally finished and gave away another refurbished audio amplifier. https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sony-ta-8650-restoration.1049093/page-2#post-16982678

The meeting with a girl who needed help figuring out the settings and control of the recorder for Cicely’s next project turned out to be very interesting. Ada has been involved in a charity project for two years now and we had a lot to talk about. This is the first time I have encountered such a deep understanding of the situation in Ukraine from a foreigner. However, you can watch her interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23asIhJ_tmc
Yes, I taught her how to use a voice recorder. The weather was warm and the sun was shining, my walk today was the first time in company and therefore was doubly pleasant.

The embassies of the United States and Great Britain in russia said that extremist attacks on large gatherings are planned in the russian federation in the next two days. Diplomatic institutions have advised their citizens to refrain from attending such events. https://hromadske.ua/posts/posolstva-kilkoh-krayin-poperedili-svoyih-gromadyan-pro-mozhlivi-napadi-ekstremistiv-u-rf#user=Yustina-Lisova

The company UkrNet published a message about the reasons for blocking its service the day before yesterday. Looks like a abuse of process. This is a common thing in Ukraine, but it is surprising that this was done using a US court. https://www.ukr.net/news/details/companies/38.html

Soon, in March 2024, Ukraine will receive the first tranche under the Ukraine Facility program in the amount of 4.5 billion euros, said Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis at a joint briefing with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-dombrovskis-yevrokomisiya-dopomoha-ukrayina-transh/32854046.html

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday during closed-door meeting. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-war/turkish-president-erdogan-meets-with-ukraine-s-zelenskyy/3159465

The Presidential Office hosted a briefing chaired by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak on the security situation in Ukraine and other topical issues for the delegation of the People's Republic of China headed by Li Hui, Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs. https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/andrij-yermak-proviv-brifing-dlya-delegaciyi-kitayu-na-choli-89577

Mutual frustrations arise in U.S.-Ukraine alliance. Ukrainian officials are disheartened about stalled aid. The Pentagon wants Kyiv to heed its advice on how to fight. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/us/politics/ukraine-us-military-frustrations.html

Biden said that Trump's recent statement about not protecting NATO countries who didn't pay their required amount for the treaty organization was "outrageous."
Trump responded to Biden on Truth Social: “Putin only invaded Ukraine, because he has no respect for Biden. Would have never happened under the Trump Administration, and for four years it didn’t happen!” https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/all-things-trump/trump-rips-biden-over-leaving-late-state-union-address-slams-his

[US7IGN]

The dismissal of Zaluzhny and his deputy has a piquant detail. So far these are rumors that are being spread on the Internet, but there has not yet been an official refutation of the publications. Two separate sources of the "Ukainska Pravda" confirmed that Shaptala, like the ex-commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, were dismissed based on the conclusion of the Military Medical Commission (MMC) that they were unfit for military service and removed from military records. https://nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/politics/shaptala-zvilnivsya-z-viyskovoji-sluzhbi-razom-iz-zaluzhnim-novini-ukrajini-50399706.html
The activities of these medical commissions are a source of constant scandals, because healthy people can receive documents exempting them from military service for a bribe, while sick people can go to the front. Moreover, a soldier can leave the army only in exceptional cases, including upon the conclusion of a medical commission. However, in practice this is only possible for those who have lost limbs or are seriously injured. Most of the soldiers are returned to the front after treatment.
In the case of the generals, this looks like an excellent demonstration of injustice and inconsistency with what the authorities declare and how they actually act. There have already been jokes asking the question - if they were so sick, how were they allowed to lead the entire army? And if these conclusions are false, will commission members and evaders be punished as is the case with ordinary people?
I hope this information is not true, but...

The Ukrainian ambassador to China is being ignored, although this is one of the key countries that can have a decisive influence on the outcome of the war in Ukraine. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-05/china-spurns-ukraine-diplomats-at-home-undermining-peace-push

France is building an alliance of countries open to potentially sending Western troops to Ukraine — and in the process deepening its clash with a more cautious Berlin. https://www.politico.eu/article/france-finds-baltic-allies-in-its-spat-with-germany-over-ukraine-aid-sikorski-nato-macron-troops-war/

It is obvious that each country primarily pursues its own interests, but such activity by France looks like an attempt to seize leadership in subsequent influence on Ukraine.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the chairmen of key House committees dealing with national security are working to develop their own Ukraine aid package, an alternative that they hope can pass Congress without alienating conservatives who oppose further funding for the war-torn country.
Among the proposals being floated is treating some of the nonmilitary aid as a type of loan, said House Foreign Affairs Chairman Mike McCaul, R-Texas, who is involved in the discussions, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Economic aid to support the general function of Ukraine’s government and its long-term rebuilding efforts would be subject to a loan under this plan. russian assets seized by the U.S. government through sanctions could also be used as collateral for loans to the Ukrainians, McCaul said, adding that the plan could also have a generous repayment system to help Ukraine.
Offering up loans as part of the package is designed to help ease the concerns of House conservatives who have criticized billions in U.S. aid for Ukraine and said they will not support sending further U.S. taxpayer dollars without a long-term plan to win the war.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-republicans-consider-loan-program-ukraine-aid-rcna142562

Ukraine’s credit rating was cut by S&P Global Ratings, which said it’s a “virtual certainty” the government will include holders of Eurobonds in its debt-relief efforts. The agency cut the war-torn nation by two notches to CC, the second-lowest level above default. The agency said the outlook was negative, according to a Friday statement. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-08/ukraine-cut-by-s-p-as-restructuring-is-virtual-certainty

[N0TZU]

Giving US loans to allies as a way to satisfy obstructionist isolationists and misers in Congress has a long history. It was particularly effective preceding and during WW2.

The obstructionists can rationalize that it’s only a loan, and the ally gets the money immediately. Of course the loans are usually paid back in the distant future (inflation…) if at all, or are eventually forgiven. Whatever it’s called, Congress needs to approve Ukraine funding as soon as possible.

Some countries paid their WW2 debts to the US, notably the UK, last payment in 2006, about 60 years later. The USSR paid some of their debt back prior to the dissolution, with Russia now officially the debtor for the balance. (Good luck collecting).

[US7IGN]

Giving US loans to allies as a way to satisfy obstructionist isolationists and misers in Congress has a long history. It was particularly effective preceding and during WW2.

The obstructionists can rationalize that it’s only a loan, and the ally gets the money immediately. Of course the loans are usually paid back in the distant future (inflation…) if at all, or are eventually forgiven. Whatever it’s called, Congress needs to approve Ukraine funding as soon as possible.

Some countries paid their WW2 debts to the US, notably the UK, last payment in 2006, about 60 years later. The USSR paid some of their debt back prior to the dissolution, with Russia now officially the debtor for the balance. (Good luck collecting).

In general, you are right. The only question that remains is how exactly the loan will be used, since it is about financial assistance. Someone takes money from the bank, does business, returns the money and makes a profit. Another takes the money and buys a new phone or spends it on girls and booze.

It seems to me that the main thing that Ukraine lacks is consistency and rationality. And this is a direct consequence of incompetence and lack of patriotism. Well, officials too often confuse the state pocket with their own, and the people are unable to control it.

[US7IGN]

Today the weather is great again, but the mood is bad. And not because there is still no propagation and I barely heard Colin. At least we said hello.

I don't write much about the fighting, but that doesn't mean it has stopped. It's just that almost nothing good has been happening for a long time.

The authorities are now making many moves and even more announcements about the construction of fortifications. But the problem is not that it is done too late and poorly, but that they are not able to protect against russian bombs. And this is the big difference from those defensive structures that stopped the Ukrainian counteroffensive last year. The point is not that the russians made better fortifications, but that the Ukrainian army did not have not only aviation, but even a sufficient amount of artillery. Instead, the russians are able to drop thousands of 500, 1000 and even 1500 kg bombs that easily destroy any fortifications. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/10/europe/russian-guided-bomb-ukraine-frontline-intl/index.html

The story with British Challenger-2 tanks showed that their small number (only 14 pieces) and shortcomings (heavy weight, low power, unreliability) could not affect the results of battles. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/26509818/ukrainian-soldiers-brit-challenger-2-tanks-russia/