Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax Monday that the Ukrainian counteroffensive against the Russian invasion is underway and that "do or die," the Ukrainians are "going for it."
"For months, we've been trying to get the logistics right, get them supplied right, get the tactics right," Holt said during an appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "The unfortunate part is all that time has given the Russians time to put their defensive lines into position the way they are now, which is really brutally tough.
"But, in the last four to five days, a week, this initial wave of attack, probing along the lines, you can see three axes of attack for the main body force coming up, with the main element looking like they're aiming right at Crimea from Zaporizhzhia. So, there's no question, do or die, the Ukrainians are in this thing now, they're going for it."
When asked about reports of 16 Bradley fighting vehicles being destroyed or damaged in recent days, Holt said, "That lines up exactly with what I'm hearing on both sides, Russian and Ukrainian."
Holt also said that an "alarming amount" of Leopard 2 tanks have been "taken in this early probing stage of the counteroffensive."
"We've talked about logistics all the time; at this rate of loss, that's going to put them in a really bad position when they want to bring the main force into their thrust and line of attack," Holt said. "The Ukrainians are fighting a fierce war right now, and they're right into the grinder."
Holt said even though he is "certain" that the U.S. is "lining up more vehicles and more support for the war," it was "hard to say" if Washington would supply Kyiv with replacements for the destroyed ones.
"The problem is this: It's not that there's anything wrong with the Bradley fighting vehicle," he said. "It's a great vehicle, as long as it's got … air power coming into bear.
"There's no combined arms effort, so it then becomes a World War I-style conflict with no air power. Russia does have airpower and they're hitting these things with their Ka-52 helicopters."
Holt also weighed in on what he's watching for from a meeting that's scheduled to occur later on Monday between President Joe Biden and the leader of NATO.
"During the meeting I think the two men are going to finalize the upcoming summit in the first week of July at Vilnius for NATO itself," he said.
"This couldn't be more important because that agenda will have on it … an assurance of security that we have to watch very carefully because, if you offer security assurances, what does that mean you're on the hook for?
"What we're all watching for is hopefully it doesn't mean there's a commitment of NATO forces going up against Russia."
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