by Tyler Durden

There's also a grim emerging consensus that Ukraine is suffering staggering losses. Even just before the counteroffensive's start, The Washington Post ran headlines such as Ukraine short of skilled troops and munitions as losses, pessimism grow.

Related this are all of the recent videos of young Ukrainian men being conscripted across the country which have widely circulated. Those who are fearful of being sent to the front are often actively engaging in evasive and, in some instances, illegal tactics to avoid such a fate. Some with money can pay off military recruitment officers, perhaps.

This week, even one of Kiev's most ardent supporters and NATO backers - Poland, has said the counteroffensive is likely to fail. Polish President Andrzej Duda said in a fresh Washington Post interview, "Does Ukraine have enough weapons to change the balance of the war and get the upper hand?" And he answered his rhetorical with - "Probably, no."

"We know this by the fact that they're not currently able to carry out a very decisive counteroffensive against the Russian military," Duda conceded. "To make a long story short, they need more assistance." And now on the battlefield, the Kharkiv area is being evacuated of civilians amid Russian advances.

A new announcement by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday has further confirmed this pessimistic view of Kiev's prospects, as the government has fired all heads of military recruitment on concerns of rampant corruption. Zelensky has dismissed all heads of Ukraine's regional military committees as authorities conduct a sweeping probe into bribery allegations.