Ukraine troops retreat from Debaltseve. Yahoo/AP.
Ukraine has pulled out of the strategic town of Debaltseve after bitter fighting. Yahoo/AP. Ukraine pulled troops as the rebels raised their flag over the town. Ukranian troops talked to reporters from the Associated Press and told them that they had taken heavy casualties due to shelling and were unable to resupply. Ukraine was able to take out 167 wounded soldiers but have to leave behind some of their dead. President Petro Poroshenko said that 80% of troops in the Debaltseve pocket have retreated with only two columns left. Far right nationalists blasted the retreat claiming that the problem was with how the battle was being fought, not a lack of supplies or men. Ukrainian soldiers on the ground, and the rebels they were fighting, both disagreed with that statement. With the battle of Debaltseve largely over, rebels are begging the process of pulling back heavy weapons from the front lines.
My Comment:
This is a massive defeat for Ukraine. Not only did they lose a critical railway hub and a major connection between the rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk, they lost troops, equipment and morale. I don't believe Poroshenko for a minute when he says this was an orderly withdrawal. This was a full on retreat to prevent a collapse. Having people walk out and leaving the dead behind does not say orderly withdrawal to me. This was inevitable though, the Debaltseve pocket was too deep of a salient for the Ukrainians to effectively defend. Even if the rebels weren't quite able to surround the Ukrainians completely they were able to close the escape off enough that Ukraine had to break out as soon as possible.
That they were able to do so at all is a small miracle. Especially considering how under-equipped and under-supported the troops in Debaltseve were. From what the report said it seems as though morale has collapsed for these troops. They were left in Debaltseve without supplies and reinforcements, and when the time came they had to breakout on their own, sometimes on foot. They had to carry out their wounded and leave behind their dead. Their comrades have been captured. And they have to be wondering to themselves, "what was the point?" Frankly, they should be happy they made it out at all. With yet another major defeat the Ukrainian forces must be devastated right now. The can't trust their government to come through when they need them.
Ukraine desperately needs this cease fire to work out now. They need time to rebuild their forces and get some morale back. It might be to late for that though. Like I have said in other posts Ukraine is having major economic problems and they are also having a hell of a time recruiting new soldiers. In short, this war can not go any longer. Period. They need to find a way out and fast, preferably with the city of Mariupol still under their control. The rebels are fine with playing the waiting game, and now they have almost everything they want. I don't think this cease fire will hold, but Ukraine must be trying to find away out of this situation.
As for what happens next, I see the cease fire falling apart. It might be days or weeks or even months but it will happen eventually. If it does then the city of Mariupol will be the next target. And unless Ukraine is able to rest and recuperate its army I am putting my money on the rebels to win there too.
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