‘Change Up Game’: Military Analyst Urges New Strategy for Ukraine

WASHINGTON DC – A retired US Army colonel and veteran of NATO leadership is urging Ukraine to abandon its current defensive “attrition game” against Russia, arguing the strategy is unsustainable.

In an interview with the Kyiv Post on Sunday, retired Colonel Richard Williams – who once served as Deputy Director of the Armaments Section in NATO’s Defense Investment Division – asserted that Ukraine cannot prevail in a long-term war of attrition.

Williams explained that while Ukrainian forces are inflicting more casualties on the enemy, Russia’s “seemingly endless pool of reserves and thinks of them as expendable” gives it a distinct advantage.

“Across its line of engagement, or front, Ukraine is attriting weekly... on a greater scale than it is itself being attrited,” Williams said. “But as Putin has a seemingly endless pool of reserves... Ukraine is ultimately unlikely to prevail in defensive / non-mobile attrition warfare,” he said.

Call to Seize the Initiative

Williams’s central message is a call for a fundamental change in Ukrainian tactics. He believes that Russia’s offensive advantage lies in its ability to choose the time and place of attack, stating that Russia “on the offensive knows where it is going to attack – and that gives them a big battlefield advantage.”

To counter this, he said, “Ukraine now needs to take the initiative from the enemy.” He argued that this requires a shift from “massing force against strength to applying concentrated strength against an opponent’s vulnerabilities, creating unexpected situations, and out-thinking the enemy through rapid cycles of action and reaction to gain positional advantages.”

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Williams suggested that Ukraine is better suited for a more dynamic and “mobile warfare” style.

“Think of multiple, unexpected (like the Kursk small offensive) penetrations to disrupt logistics where the enemy is less likely to know how to best defend against drone attack in depth,” he advised. “Ukraine is better capable of mobile warfare.”

“Change up the game”

Williams emphasized the critical need for a change in approach. He described Ukraine’s current posture as a “stagnant configuration,” warning that it “cannot win or even hold its own indefinitely in this tactical layout.”

To support this new approach, he offered specific tactical advice. Williams recommended that for limited-goal penetrations, Ukrainian forces should emphasize local, short-term air and artillery superiority.

Additionally, he suggested using fast, air-delivered minefields on their flanks and employing drones on deeper enemy lines of communication.

“Change up the game – to get the results you want to achieve!” he concluded.