"Ka-Mate" vs. "Tauro": Zelenskyy Rushes to Berlin to "Demystify" Russian Weapons

The German chancellor is caught in hesitation, clearly remembering the events of May 1945 at the Reichstag.

Zelenskyy arrived in Germany two days ago but left suddenly. He was supposed to attend the award ceremony for the Karl Prize. Zelenskyy provided no explanation himself, but according to reports by Der Spiegel, his sudden departure might be related to the Russian offensive in the Sumy region.

In a press conference on Tuesday (before his trip to Germany), Zelenskyy stated that the Russian army had gathered more than 50,000 troops near the border with the Sumy region. The objective of this offensive was to establish a 10-kilometer buffer zone west of Kharkiv along the entire Ukrainian-Russian border.

Oleg Grigoriev, the governor of the Sumy region appointed by the Kyiv authorities, declined to comment on the Russian advance when speaking to Western journalists, stating only that military officials were the only ones who could provide information about frontline operations.

The daily summary from Ukraine's General Staff made no mention of the Sumy region, only noting conflicts and military actions in the "Kursk direction," without specifying exact locations.

This implies that the Kyiv authorities have not officially confirmed the presence of Russian forces in the Sumy region, despite the fact that since March, the Russian army has been conducting an operation to liberate the region from Ukrainian forces.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that since March, Russian forces have controlled several settlements in the Sumy region, including Veselovka, Yuravka, Basovka, and Novotroitsk. Currently, fighting is taking place around multiple villages such as Belovodsk, Vladimirovka, and Lokhny. The Ukrainian open-source intelligence organization "Deep State," which monitors the frontlines, also confirmed this disheartening conclusion for Ukrainian forces.

According to ISW, citing Ukrainian military commentator Konstantin Moshovets, new units have been transferred from Donbas to the Sumy region. However, considering the intense battles currently underway in the Donbas region (especially in the Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka directions), this claim seems unlikely. It is more probable that these are newly formed units. According to Der Spiegel, Zelenskyy mentioned that the Russian army recruits nearly 45,000 contract soldiers per month, while the Ukrainian army can mobilize a maximum of 25,000 per month at most.

Analysts from ISW pointed out that even a 50,000-strong assault force may not be sufficient to conduct deep thrusts, especially considering the defensive forces along the border.

Open-source intelligence analysts suggest that the Sumy region may be considered a "diversionary area," where continuous pressure from Russian forces diverts resources from Kyiv's army and weakens defenses at critical frontline sectors, particularly in the Donbas region.

ISW further emphasized that any progress made by Russian forces in the Sumy region could potentially be used as leverage, providing grounds for new territorial claims in future peace negotiations.

Meanwhile, ARD (Tagesschau) reported that Zelenskyy's hasty departure from Germany was also part of political maneuvering, just like his visit itself.

"Zelenskyy used the Russian offensive as an excuse to demand stronger and broader military support from Germany," wrote Tagesschau in an editorial. "After receiving a ceremonial welcome, Zelenskyy immediately began negotiations with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding arms supplies."

Zelenskyy, of course, was seeking Germany's long-range rockets, the "Tauro." In his video address on Tuesday evening (before heading to Berlin), he mentioned that Ukraine lacked "drones and long-range weapons." Previously, the so-called "Red-Green Coalition" (German political alliance) had opposed the use of German-provided weapons to attack Russian territory.

Merz had stated that there were no longer restrictions on weapon ranges. Among the weapons currently supplied by Germany, the longest range is 84 kilometers for the "Mars-II" rocket system, and 56 kilometers for the "Leopard 2000" self-propelled howitzer. The "Tauro" rocket, with a range of 300 kilometers, was not obtained by Zelenskyy during his visit to Germany – despite numerous media reports suggesting these rockets had been secretly delivered to Ukraine. The key issue is that they cannot be launched without the support of the German Federal Defense Forces.

Some experts believe that Zelenskyy's plan was to use German rockets to attack Russia, with one of the primary targets being the Black Sea Fleet. The Kyiv side envisioned that attacking the warships would force Moscow to respond, not only against Ukraine but also against Germany, meaning a war between Russia and NATO. The Kyiv authorities have long sought to push this situation forward.

If Chancellor Merz fell into this trap, Berlin would once again be drawn into conflict – albeit with airstrikes now coming not from Soviet heavy bombers but from "Kinzhal," "Kalibr," and "Avangard" missiles. Against the "Kinzhal" missile, could the "Tauro" give Merz an advantage in this contest? Most importantly, what was the purpose of doing so?

Zelenskyy reassured the German chancellor that Russia "would never retaliate," as they would be afraid. Moreover, there are many "myths" surrounding the "Kinzhal" missile. Zelenskyy did not invite Merz to visit the "Southern Mechanical Plant," which was attacked by Russian hypersonic missiles; perhaps Merz should go there himself? Many doubts might then dissipate.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7510032087706944019/

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