In an interview with Euromaidan Press, Ukrainian military expert Mykhailo Bielieskov offered an estimate of the weapons Ukraine would need to launch a massive counteroffensive to retake the east and south:
“The frontline is maintained by 40 brigades. They are of different types: there are heavier, mechanized, tank brigades, and lighter, motorized infantry brigades, or airborne assault troops or marines. Unfortunately, the new brigades which are being formed now, the Reserve Corps, Territorial Defense brigades that are implementing tasks on the frontline — these are fairly light brigades.
To start an offensive, we need 25 of those 40 brigades to be mechanized. And an additional 20 mechanized reserve brigades – 45 mechanized brigades in total.
For one mechanized brigade, we need one tank battalion (31 tanks), three mechanized battalions (3x 31 IVFs, APCs, or light wheeled vehicles), and a brigade artillery group (two squadrons of barrel and one squadron of rocket artillery, totaling 36-48 units, as one squadron is 12-18 units). And, of course, Ukraine needs separate artillery brigades that will be armed with large numbers of HIMARS.”
|
What weapons Ukraine needs to launch a counteroffensive |
|
|
Units |
Weapons |
|
45 mechanized brigades (25 on the first line, 20 in the reserve) |
1400 tanks |
|
4200 APC/IFV |
|
|
1100 self-propelled howitzers like M109 |
|
|
8 separate artillery brigades |
400 self-propelled howitzers: Krab, CAESAR, Panzerhaubitze 2000 |
|
50-60 MLRS: HIMARS/M270 with ATACMS and GMLRS missiles |
|
