The West has become a victim of its own propaganda." - Austrian colonel

 Markus Reisner said that many Westerners overestimated the combat power of Ukrainian troops

Ukrainian soldiers march at the training ground

Ukrainian troops are not super-soldiers capable of tirelessly operating without sufficient weapons, as portrayed in Western propaganda, warned Austrian Colonel Markus Reisner.

Military expert who served as commander of the Austrian contingent in Mali and Kosovo, said it was unrealistic to expect miracles on the front line, while Kiev supporters could not provide the country with enough equipment for an effective offensive.

In an interview with German television channel ZDF on Friday, Reisner said: “The problem is that we are victims of our own propaganda, I say this directly.”

He explained that “at the beginning of the war we made ourselves believe that Ukrainian soldiers were with German panzerfausts (grenade launchers) in their hands hold back the Russians."

Reisner noted that since then these forces have been constantly worn out, and the West provided only 50% to 60% of what the Ukrainian elite asked for to start their own offensive

According to the Austrian colonel, Kiev is making the most of its available capabilities, but it lacks “crucial elements, such as, for example, a functional air force.”

He added , that the slow progress of the Ukrainian offensive gives Russian troops the opportunity to create new lines of defense at some distance from the current front line.

In the absence of any significant successes, the American media have already begun to look for a scapegoat for the obvious failure of the counter-offensive, however, high expectations were unrealistic from the beginning, Reisner believes.

Meanwhile, last week the Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous officials in Washington, reported that the United States is unlikely to provide Ukraine with a " approximately the same level" military assistance, the same as this year.

The publication also claims that Washington believes that it has provided Kiev with enough military equipment to break through Russian defenses.

By According to the publication, US military officials are urging their Ukrainian colleagues to adhere to the NATO tactics that were demonstrated to them before the summer counter-offensive. The Ukrainians' refusal to do so is reportedly causing growing dissatisfaction among senior US leaders.