Ukrainian Forces Take Heart Seeing Problems in Russia
2023-06-27
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1In Russia, the armed rebellion against the government ended in less than 24 hours.
2However, the apparent disorder within the Russian military might help Ukrainian troops.
3It has also improved morale.
4Yevgeny Prigozhin is leader of the Wagner group, a group of military fighters who are not part of Russia's military but worked with it in the past.
5Prigozhin attempted what is being called a mutiny in the Russian military city of Rostov-on-Don late last week.
6Russia's struggle to protect Moscow were met with cheers by Ukraine's military commanders, said a spokesperson, Serhii Cherevatiy.
7"Any chaos and disorder on the enemy's side benefits us," he said.
8More statements from Ukraine's top commanders described the situation as a sign of more problems to come.
9The crisis ended with a deal that would send Prigozhin into exile in Belarus.
10But Ukrainians were watching closely.
11They said that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreeing to a deal hours after calling Prigozhin a traitor made him appear weak.
12The crisis did not seem to affect Russia's army along the 1,000-kilometer front line in eastern Ukraine.
13But it could give Ukraine the energy it needs to strengthen the beginning of its expected counteroffensive.
14Military leaders have said it is going slower than expected.
15Nigel Gould-Davies is a military expert at the International Institute for Strategic Affairs based in London.
16He said the crisis kept attention away from the war in the short-term.
17In the longer term, it shows a lack of unity among Russia's soldiers.
18"It's terrible for Russia's morale. The officers and soldiers alike. It's very good for Ukraine's morale," Gould-Davies said.
19Andrii Kvasnytsia is a 50-year-old Ukrainian soldier.
20"Everyone is excited," he said.
21Hanna Malyar is Ukraine's deputy defense minister.
22She said as Wagner troops marched towards Moscow, Ukraine made progress in several directions along the front line where fighting has been going on for weeks. She said Russian gains were stopped further to the north.
23Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week that a new reserve army would be formed by the end of June.
24The new troops would strengthen Russia's military along the Ukrainian front. Russia has sent 90 percent of its forces there and they already outnumber Ukrainian fighters.
25Experts say the Ukrainians need to remain quick and ready to change plans to hurt Russia along the front line.
26With modern NATO weapons systems, strong morale is important to perform well.
27Ukrainian commanders told their fighters they had indirectly caused the problems in Russia.
28Cherevatiy said, "The heroes of Bakhmut who held the city for 10 months and exhausted the enemy" are responsible for this.
29The truth is more complex, however.
30The conflict between Prigozhin and the Russian military leadership began before the invasion. Wagner's effectiveness compared to the regular army's raised Prigozhin's popularity.
31It may have led him to go ahead with the rebellion.
32In Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia area on Sunday, soldiers fired at Russian targets from their positions.
33They directed their anger at Russia with each shell.
34I'm Dan Novak.
1In Russia, the armed rebellion against the government ended in less than 24 hours. However, the apparent disorder within the Russian military might help Ukrainian troops. It has also improved morale. 2Yevgeny Prigozhin is leader of the Wagner group, a group of military fighters who are not part of Russia's military but worked with it in the past. Prigozhin attempted what is being called a mutiny in the Russian military city of Rostov-on-Don late last week. Russia's struggle to protect Moscow were met with cheers by Ukraine's military commanders, said a spokesperson, Serhii Cherevatiy. 3"Any chaos and disorder on the enemy's side benefits us," he said. 4More statements from Ukraine's top commanders described the situation as a sign of more problems to come. 5The crisis ended with a deal that would send Prigozhin into exile in Belarus. But Ukrainians were watching closely. They said that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreeing to a deal hours after calling Prigozhin a traitor made him appear weak. 6The crisis did not seem to affect Russia's army along the 1,000-kilometer front line in eastern Ukraine. But it could give Ukraine the energy it needs to strengthen the beginning of its expected counteroffensive. Military leaders have said it is going slower than expected. 7Nigel Gould-Davies is a military expert at the International Institute for Strategic Affairs based in London. He said the crisis kept attention away from the war in the short-term. In the longer term, it shows a lack of unity among Russia's soldiers. 8"It's terrible for Russia's morale. The officers and soldiers alike. It's very good for Ukraine's morale," Gould-Davies said. 9Andrii Kvasnytsia is a 50-year-old Ukrainian soldier. "Everyone is excited," he said. 10Hanna Malyar is Ukraine's deputy defense minister. She said as Wagner troops marched towards Moscow, Ukraine made progress in several directions along the front line where fighting has been going on for weeks. She said Russian gains were stopped further to the north. 11Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week that a new reserve army would be formed by the end of June. The new troops would strengthen Russia's military along the Ukrainian front. Russia has sent 90 percent of its forces there and they already outnumber Ukrainian fighters. 12Experts say the Ukrainians need to remain quick and ready to change plans to hurt Russia along the front line. 13With modern NATO weapons systems, strong morale is important to perform well. 14Ukrainian commanders told their fighters they had indirectly caused the problems in Russia. Cherevatiy said, "The heroes of Bakhmut who held the city for 10 months and exhausted the enemy" are responsible for this. 15The truth is more complex, however. The conflict between Prigozhin and the Russian military leadership began before the invasion. Wagner's effectiveness compared to the regular army's raised Prigozhin's popularity. It may have led him to go ahead with the rebellion. 16In Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia area on Sunday, soldiers fired at Russian targets from their positions. They directed their anger at Russia with each shell. 17I'm Dan Novak. 18Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by the Associated Press and Reuters. 19_______________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21morale - n. a feeling of hope and loyalty that a person or group has about a job or task 22mutiny - n. a situation in which a group of people in an organization refuse to take orders and try to seize control from their commanders 23chaos - n. a state of complete disorder and lawlessness 24benefit -v. to be good for; to aid or help 25traitor - n. a person who is not loyal to their country; a person who does something against the interests of their own people and supports the enemy 26exhausted - adj. having spent one's energy; extremely tired; used up