Ukraine Morale 'High' Amid Kherson Offensive as Russia in Disarray: General

Retired U.S. General Mark Hertling said Saturday that there is "high" morale among Ukrainian troops as the Eastern European country continues to conduct counteroffensive operations against Russian forces in efforts to retake Russian-occupied territories including the Kherson region.

During a recent interview, an unnamed spokesperson for the 63rd Brigade of the Ukrainian army was smiling and eating watermelon, a symbol of Kherson Oblast where the fruit is mainly grown, when he was asked about the possible liberation of the region, UkraineWorld reported on Saturday.

The spokesperson said that he couldn't comment on potentially taking back Kherson Oblast, but added that further information is expected to be released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In reaction to the brigade's spokesperson's remarks, Hertling tweeted: "Fascinating contrast. While Russian recruiters stalk draftees and those already mobilized complain about equipment, sleep on floors, and are even shot by their own when they don't join the attack, Ukrainian moral remains high as they anticipate liberating Kherson."

Hertling told Newsweek on Saturday that he believes Ukraine will continue to persevere in the war because of its will to fight and protect its sovereignty.

"They know how to adapt to circumstances, they have leaders at the senior and junior level that care for their soldiers, and their morale is only bolstered by their recent operational momentum," he said.

Meanwhile, Moscow has been facing desertion among its troops, difficulty recruiting motivated fighters, and obtaining equipment and armor, according to experts and Ukrainian officials.

Alexander Štupun, the Ukrainian spokesperson of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said in an military update this week that Russian army leaders recently ordered their troops in Donetsk to temporarily stop fighting in the region amid low morale and desertion.

"In some areas of combat, including in the Donetsk region, enemy units began to receive orders from higher leadership to temporarily suspend offensive actions," Štupun said on Wednesday. "The main reason is the extremely low morale and psychological state of replenishment, numerous facts of desertion from the number of mobilized and non-compliance of combat orders."

Kyle Haynes, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Purdue University, told Newsweek on Thursday that Russia temporarily suspending the fight in Donetsk "mostly confirms what everyone already knew: that Russia's mobilization is not going smoothly and will not make a meaningful difference on the battlefield for at least the next several months."

Comparing the Russian and Ukrainian armies, Hertling told Newsweek: "The Russian army has—from the beginning—not had a clear objective or a reason to fight. They do not feel supported by either their military leaders or their government officials, and their training, leadership, command and control and operational readiness has —from the beginning—not prepared them for the battlefield."

He continued: "The morale is staggeringly low due to their losses, and the troops that are being mobilized to flow into the fight are neither prepared to join their comrades, nor will they be welcomed by soldiers on the front line who have experienced disaster over the last 7+ months."

In recent weeks, Ukraine took back a number of Russian-occupied territories during counteroffensive operations, while Russian President Vladimir Putin's military is grappling with poor leadership. Liberated regions include parts of the Kherson region and the village of Makiivka in the Luhansk region.

Ukraine has also been receiving bolstered support from the West with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov most recently announcing that his country received four more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), supplied by the United States, which had a destructive effect when used to combat Russian attacks.

He also confirmed that further military assistance is on the way, including National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), which were used to provide protection against Russian missiles and drones.

"A new era of air defence has begun in [Ukraine]," Reznikov tweeted at the time.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment.

Update [10/15/2022] 5:45 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comments by Hertling.