Moscow's Military Achievements in 2023: Artemovsk, Maryinka, Growing Demand for Russian Arms

The success of the Russian troops was built in several stages over the course of the year, Yuri Podolyaka, a political scientist and politico-military expert, believes.

The first included the winter of 2022 and the spring of 2023, when the Russian army launched an offensive and liberated several cities, including Soledar and Artemovsk, according to the expert. The Ukrainian troops suffered defeats, which prevented them from carrying out their offensive in the Zaporozhye region.

"The second stage was the [Ukrainian] summer counteroffensive, which was a disastrous failure, despite the preparation and use of enormous resources, money and equipment. The enemy couldn't do anything about it, they just exhausted their reserves, and as a result we smoothly moved on to the third stage of this campaign in 2023, our offensive, and in several directions at once," Podolyaka added.

Maryinka, a Multifaceted Victory

For 10 years, this town has been used by Kiev forces to terrorize the Russian-speaking civilian population.

"By taking this strategic city, the range of Ukrainian artillery will be reduced, and as a result, the population will be safer. And this is precisely the goal of the Russian special operation to protect the population of Donbass," Mokhtar Said Mediouni, a former colonel in the Algerian Air Force and geopolitical expert, told Sputnik.

For his part, Podolyaka believes that the significance of this event goes beyond the purely military success.

Opinion

Political, Military & Psychological Effect: Experts on Russian Liberation of Maryinka

28 December 2023, 16:17

"First of all, there's the political aspect. Maryinka is the first town, and it's a town, not just a village, that has been liberated by our army since last spring, when we completely liberated Artemovsk (Bakhmut) at the end of May," he pointed out.

From a tactical standpoint, this success opens up good prospects for the advance towards the city of Ugledar.

"We can reach the flank and the rear of the troops deployed in Ugledar by destroying the enemy's fortifications in the area, and we will considerably simplify the offensive situation for our troops [...]. This shows that in this area we have broken through the enemy's main line of defense, which they have been building for many years, and that we are gaining a very important strategic advantage," Podolyaka explained.

Second, the victory has undermined the morale of Kiev's troops, he emphasized.

"For the enemy, who has declared Maryinka impregnable for the umpteenth time, this is a very important psychological break. Ukrainian soldiers already understand that on other axes, they are doomed," says the political scientist.

Predictions for 2024

After a successful year, Moscow will be able to capitalize on this success and liberate other territories, former Colonel Mediouni said.

"The Russian forces have consolidated their defensive line. And in the opinion of the NATO Secretary General himself, no one will be able to regain ground on this front," the expert said, referring to the words of Jens Stoltenberg in early December about this Russian success.

He also noted that Russia is facing NATO, not Kiev.

Opinion

'Technological Superiority of West in Military Sphere is Myth', Head of Russian Rostec Says

27 December 2023, 17:43

"It is not the Ukrainian counteroffensive, it is NATO's counteroffensive, given the weapons that have been given to the Ukrainian forces, the resources that have been put in place, the money that has been poured into the Ukrainian forces. It's NATO that has lost this war, because this counteroffensive never took place and can never take place," Mediouni declared.

He stressed that the initiative lies with the Russian army, which is capable of developing it.

"The Russian forces, with the experience they have gained during this special operation, have consolidated themselves, have consolidated their line of defense, and today they are in a position of strength [...]. They could even take more territory if Ukraine doesn't come to the negotiating table," he said.

This thought echoes that of Yuri Podolyaka, who believes that Kiev's forces will continue to retreat.

"We are advancing everywhere, really everywhere [...]. Kiev [...] will now gradually withdraw to the west and will try to slow down this process," he noted.

International Rush for Russian Weapons

In addition to strategic successes on the battlefield, Russia has also confirmed the quality and effectiveness of its weapons. As a result, enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex have stepped up production of the most widely used parts.

"Russian weapons are currently in great demand on the market. As you can see from the various arms fairs held this year, there's a rush to buy Russian weapons. Why is that? Because the experience of this Russian offensive or special operation in Ukraine has shown how vulnerable Western weapons are," Mokhtar Said Mediouni noted.

Opinion

NATO's Desire to Expand Militarily in Ukraine Gave Rise to Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Expert Says

14 December 2023, 16:45

Another compelling example of this vulnerability is the conflict in the Gaza Strip, he pointed out.

"The war against the people of Gaza showed that Western weaponry [...] did not allow military superiority over Hamas fighters by air or land," Mediouni said.

No Trust Left in Westerners

Russia launched the special operation after it was repeatedly deceived by the West, especially with regard to NATO expansion and the Minsk agreements.

"We remember [Former Chancellor of Germany Angela] Merkel's and [former French President] François Hollande's statements that the Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 agreements were made to allow Ukraine to arm itself, to develop [...]. It was all hypocritical, it was all a Machiavellian plan to get Ukraine ready to wage war as a subcontractor, because it's NATO that is waging war on Russia to weaken it. Unfortunately for them, Russia has come out all the stronger for it. It's going to come out of this conflict with Ukraine or with NATO, if you will, even stronger than before," the former Algerian officer said.

Mediouni was keen to point out that new ties are currently being forged between Russia and the African continent.

He noted that "Historically, Russia has never occupied any African territory, never colonized any African people, and this gives Russia an advantage as an equal partner with African countries."

As for relations with the West, caution is the order of the day, the Algerian said.

"Today, no one can trust the West [...]. The conflict in Gaza has shown to what extent the West has lost all its value in human terms, in terms of freedoms and respect for international law. When we see a Security Council resolution when there are almost 22,000 dead today, 70% of them children and women, and the Security Council does not call for a ceasefire under pressure from the Americans, it just shows how little confidence we can have in the West," the expert concluded.