Speaking to ETV show "Ukraina Stuudio," Maj. Gen. Ühtegi, a former Defense League commander, said Ukraine is experiencing a personnel shortage.

Rounds of mobilization have not significantly alleviated this issue so far, he went on, adding that the leadership's goals with the new mobilization law have been substantial.

Maj. Gen. Ühtegi said: "They have hoped to form 10 new brigades – a brigade consists of about 5,000 to 6,000 men."

"However, up to now we have been seeing that those mobilized are essentially being used to patch holes on the front line in zones where units have suffered significant losses," he went on.

"The current situation is that Ukrainian units are actually below strength; units at the front are allowed to operate at about 60 percent capacity. Often these units exaggerate their numbers since otherwise they would be facing reformation or other consequences," Ühtegi said.

According to Ühtegi, the new fighters coming to the front lines are also inadequately trained, meaning a greater rate of injury of fatality.

"A week of training at a camp is not sufficient for engaging in full-scale trench warfare," Ühtegi continued.

"Trench warfare, in general, is very costly in terms of human lives because it is highly static; soldiers remain in the one line in the trenches, which means the enemy knows their positions well and can heavily bomb and fire upon those trenches," he added.

"Another problem if we are talking about rotation is that it represents a military tactical operation which requires special training. However, Ukrainians, especially these newer units, do not have the time to learn such rotation operations."

"The distances to be covered to reach the front line are very long, which means pauses or gaps in the front lines emerge - one unit leaves before another has arrived at its position. Naturally, the Russian side takes advantage of this," the major general said.

Ühtegi acknowledged that ideally, the basic training for Ukrainian soldiers should last a week, followed by training at a unit. However, the latter is often conducted by the units themselves, leading to widely varying levels of training quality.

"With the better units, the standard of training is quite good, but in more straightforward units that are being deployed to the trenches, that is often not the case, and this immediately impacts mobilization. The Ukrainians themselves rate the post-mobilization training as relatively poor," Ühtegi went on.

"They don't have much to complain about in terms of equipment; it's varied, but not bad. However, they have highlighted that instructors are inadequate, while the training is short. As a result, many of those mobilized aim to join elite units, where there is more hope of receiving proper training and thus a better chance of survival," Ühtegi continued.

Ukraine working to gain air superiority

Russia has been carrying out strikes against Ukraine using glide bombs, which have been difficult for Ukrainian forces to counter.

However, the long-awaited F-16 fighter jets provided by the west may change the dynamics.

On this, Ühtegi said: "F-16 fighters will certainly be helpful in this regard, as they are equipped with modern navigation and radar systems which allow them to detect the enemy from much farther away."

"They are armed with advanced missiles, which should significantly dampen the enthusiasm of Russian pilots when these F-16s appear on the front lines," he went on.

Ukraine is expected to deploy the F-16s soon, and according to Ühtegi, Ukraine is consistently working towards this by neutralizing Russian air defense systems and targeting Russian airfields.

"Naturally, this is one route, one way to prepare for achieving air superiority in air operations. Similarly, drone strikes on Russian airfields, which have increasingly targeted fighters and attack aircraft, can be classified under this effort. All these actions certainly relate to Ukraine's broader goal this year – to gain air superiority," he went on.

Political solution before military one

Maj. Gen. Ühtegi argued that while it is difficult to predict the near-term future of the war in Ukraine, he believes there will not be significant changes on the front line any time soon.

"it is likely in the future it will be such that there won't be major changes on the front; neither side is capable of concentrating large forces," he said.

"Ukraine may have a slight advantage as they can see better into what is happening behind Russian front lines, while if the Russians concentrate their forces, they can be targeted with missile systems at a distance. The Russians have similar capabilities. This makes it likely that large forces will not be concentrated."

"All this means that, until the rains arrive, nothing significant is to happen. Then when the rains come, it will render the terrain impassable, so we will have to wait for a harsh winter or for the next summer, to continue. In this way, this war could likely last for years. I think a political solution will come before a military one," Ühtegi concluded.

Maj. Gen. Riho Ühtegi was talking to "Ukraine stuudio."

An interactive map of the Ukraine front updated in real time is here.

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