The New York TimesThe New York Times

Ukraine wants to push forward. Not so fast, says its black soupy mud

By Michael Schwirtz

01 May 2023 · 4 min read

Editor's Note

The Ukrainian military is well rested, well armed and itching to go on the offensive. But the central Ukrainian mud is proving to be an unexpected foe. The NYT has the story.

ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine — The troops of Ukraine’s 43rd Separate Artillery Brigade have just about everything they need to begin the expected spring counteroffensive. They are well rested, have plenty of ammunition and are now in possession of several advanced German-made self-propelled howitzers, which have replaced their old Soviet artillery pieces.

But for the moment, they are barely moving forward, stalled not by ferocious Russian attacks, but by an enemy no less tenacious: the viscous central Ukrainian mud.

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