Perception vs. Reality: How is the Ukrainian Counteroffensive Really Going? (with Mason Clark)

Since Ukraine launched its counteroffensive in early June, policymakers and analysts have criticized the Ukrainian military for underperforming. This past week, the Washington Post published an assessment by the US intelligence community that claimed Ukraine’s counteroffensive wouldn’t fulfill its principal objectives, despite “tens of billions of dollars” of Western equipment. On this episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle and Iulia speak with Mason Clark, senior analyst and Russia team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, to get his overall take on the counteroffensive—from both the Ukrainian and Russian angle—and response to claims about Ukraine’s underperformance. Did Ukraine set out to replicate its sweeping 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive? Was its military actually given the forces and equipment to meet Western expectations? To what extent has the war impacted Russia’s military industrial base? What can we expect from both sides heading into the fall?

Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front’s bi-weekly newsletter here and follow us on Twitter here. “US Intelligence Says Ukraine Will Fail to Meet Offensive’s Key Goal,” Washington Post.