According to the former commander of the US Army in Europe, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the criminal army of Russia will not be able to fight in Ukraine for another five years, despite the statements of the Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin.
Why the defeat of the criminal army of Russia in Ukraine is closer than ever
According to Hodges in a comment to Sestry journalists, the Kremlin dictator's statements about his intentions for a long war against Ukraine should be taken seriously, as Putin has made it clear that he is not interested in negotiations until he achieves his own goals of destroying Ukraine and NATO.
So, he transferred the economy of Russia to the military rails, although their economy is in great trouble, and the defence industry has many problems. You know, he doesn't have to worry about what the Russians think because he's not running in any legitimate elections. And he doesn't have to worry about the media challenging him. I think he knows that his political future is connected with the success of the struggle against Ukraine. And that's why he will spend as many Russian lives as it will take to do everything he needs,’’ emphasises the retired American general.
He also added that the efforts of some of Ukraine's Western partners to push Kyiv to negotiate with the Kremlin seem to him inadequate.
Will Putin be able to survive the war against Ukraine
At the same time, Hodges emphasised that the Kremlin dictator is already quite old and his health is unlikely to allow him to survive another five years of war against Ukraine.
If the war continues, Russia will collapse before Ukraine. Their economy is in a very bad state. And if the West did a better job on sanctions and isolated Russia, separating it from Iran, from China, from North Korea, I think that even the Russian people would not be able to put up with the war and continue it... The people around Putin, all the oligarchs, they are losing their money. They know they have nowhere to go. Industry is being destroyed,’’ explains the former high-ranking American military official.
He reminded that the number of victims among the occupiers has already exceeded 330,000 killed and wounded.
That doesn't mean they can't summon more bodies. But I don't think they will be able to continue what they are doing now, especially if the West finally understands that the victory of Ukraine is in our interests. And this is not charity for Ukraine, it is for our benefit,’’ said Hodges.
