Brewer sees ‘war fatigue’ among soldiers at front in Ukraine

Despite seeing some “war fatigue” in the Ukrainians at the front lines, a Nebraska state senator says Americans must continue to help stop Russian President Vladamir Putin now or risk a wider war.

“Democracy dies if we let the Ukrainians be defeated by Russia,” said State Sen. Tom Brewer, speaking by cell phone from Kyiv.

Brewer, on his fourth visit to the war-torn country since fighting broke out, said Ukraine needs more anti-missile defense systems and the kind of longer-range armaments that can reach into Russia to blunt their recent offensive. 

Bottom line, he said, is that the United States, Britain and other allies must be more aggressive in providing the type of weapons Ukraine needs.

“Instead of stringing them out, and feeding them little bits and pieces to survive, give them what they need,” Brewer said. “By stringing it out, you’re killing a lot of really good folks who are trying to get back their freedom and their homeland.”

Monthlong trip

The senator, a decorated military veteran who served six tours of duty in Afghanistan, spoke Wednesday, near the end of a nearly monthlong trip to Ukraine.

His latest visit included stops at embattled Kharkiv during the recent Russian offensive to advance in eastern Ukraine, interviews on Polish television and with the Wall Street Journal, and briefings with Ukrainian military and economic officials.

As he’s done after past visits, the retired soldier, 65, plans to brief Nebraska’s congressional delegation on what he learned at the front. He is also sharing his information with Ukrainian defense officials.

Brewer said this visit, which began May 2 after the Nebraska Legislature adjourned, was “by far” the hardest and most dangerous, he said. 

The war has evolved, he said, from initially a tank battle to one matching artillery barrages and, most recently, into a war of drones.

Now the Russians and Ukrainians can arm $500 plastic drones with grenades and destroy million-dollar tanks, or launch a swarm of drones at a target, overwhelming the ability to shoot them down.

Brewer said anyone driving a vehicle near the front is now endangered by a sudden drone attack. 

“Basically, if you’re out in the open, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to die,” he said.

‘There’s no warning’

Brewer said a police major guiding his group to a border hospital in a civilian vehicle was hit by a drone, and John Grinvalds, a television reporter from Lincoln station 10/11, got ensnarled in a drone attack on a visit to the front.

“There’s no warning. There’s no way to have any ability to stop it,” he said, which adds more “terror” to any trip to the front.

The increase in drone warfare has left the Ukrainians pinned down in trenches and bunkers, waiting for bad weather to ground the drones so they can counter-attack, and trying to develop new weapons — like a long-range shotgun — that would be more effective in shooting down the drones.

Brewer said jamming devices, to ward off the drones, needed to be developed en masse to answer the new threat. Our country, he said, must learn how to battle drones, and the only way to do that, is to visit the front as he is doing.

“If we don’t figure it out, they’ll eat us alive,” Brewer said.

While recent news stories out of Ukraine speak of masses fleeing the Russian offensive near Kharkiv and the capture of villages near the border by Putin’s troops, Brewer said he thinks there’s some “hype” in the Russian offensive.

The Russians, he said, have moved forward, but with heavy casualties. New military aid from the United States and Britain has finally reached Ukrainian forces, Brewer said, allowing them to stand their ground.

Russia loses 20 soldiers for every Ukrainian fighter lost, by sending waves of soldiers in almost suicidal attacks called “meat waves,” Brewer said.

“It’s pretty out of balance,” he said. “The Russians are not afraid to burn bodies.”

Draft age lowered

To combat fatigue among its seasoned fighters, Ukraine has lowered the draft age, from 27 to 25, and is allowing prison inmates with more minor sentences to enlist.

But Ukraine also needs more defense systems, to ward off drone and missile attacks, Brewer said. The delay in approval of the recent $61 billion package of U.S. military aid, which got tied up in southern border politics, hurt, he said, but aid has arrived before it was too late.

Just this week, the Biden administration announced an additional $275 million in anti-missile systems and additional missile launchers for Ukraine.  

All that will help, Brewer said, adding that Ukraine must be given the capability to strike just across the border into Russia, where it masses its soldiers and stores its ammunition.

“If you don’t take the fight to the Russians, I don’t know if they can win,” Brewer said.