DISINFO: Western weapons are of no help to Ukraine's failing counter-offensive
SUMMARY
Western military analysts agree that Western weapons will not save the day for the Ukrainian counteroffensive that has borne no tangible results since its launch. The Ukrainian military has so far failed in all directions of their counteroffensive, despite receiving billions of dollars' worth of military equipment from the US and its NATO allies. The Russian armed forced has destroyed a vast amount of Ukraine's military equipment since day one of the Special Military Operation.
RESPONSE
Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative aiming to misrepresent and fuel resentment against Western support to Ukraine and force a capitulation to Russian military aggression. Designed to diminish the fighting spirit of Ukraine’s armed forces, promoting the false narrative that there is no point in supporting Ukraine because Russia cannot be defeated and Ukraine will inevitably perish.
In fact, already by the end of 2022, Ukrainian forces had liberated about 40% of the territory that Russia occupied following the February 2022 full-scale invasion, and have liberated at least 7 villages from Russian occupation since the launch of the counter-offensive in 2023.
Steadfast Western military support, including deliveries of weapons, ammunition and many types of light and heavy military equipment, including anti-tank and air defence systems, howitzers and drones is flowing to Ukraine to help it defend the integrity of its territories. All of this is making a difference on the battlefield every day, helping Ukraine to uphold its right of self-defence, which is enshrined in the United Nations Charter, esp. Article 51.
Ukrainian soldiers have been receiving training and formation on the use of Western weaponry for a long time. Specifically, training on Leopard tanks has taken place in several countries like Poland or Spain. By portraying this international aid as useless and even counterproductive, this disinformation story aims to erode popular support among Western populations for sending the assistance that Ukraine needs for its self-defence against Russia’s unjustified aggression.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the weapons sent to Ukraine end up in the hands of criminal groups in Sweden, that the US is prolonging war in Ukraine to benefit from weapons sales, that Western military aid to Ukraine only will cause more suffering, or that international support for Ukraine starts to decrease due to corruption.