Former US General Ben Hodgeswho served as Commanding General of the United States Army Europe by 2018, has said Russia could be defeated by the end of the year, reports The Times.
Hodges said that the Russian lines will collapse and Ukraine will regain strength to fight back.
“Based on all the things we’re seeing, at least in Donbass, there’s a sense of collapse and I believe Russians will be pushed past the February 23 line by the end of the year,” he said.
According to Hodges, Ukraine could retake Crimea if it retakes Kherson. However, he said that reoccupying the peninsula would take much longer.
In the meantime, Russia now appears to be strengthening aggressively its position in Ukraine. His Department of Defense has appointed the Air Force General Sergei Surovikin as commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
Also read: High priest under Putin’s regime urges Russians not to fear death amid troop mobilization
The Times quotes Franz Stefan Gadya research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said it was a race against time for Ukraine to capture as much territory as possible before winter hits and before better-trained Russian reinforcements reach the front lines.
According to the report, other experts believe Ukraine’s victory before 2023 is “impossible”.
On Saturday, an explosion damaged the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia and Russia the Crimean Peninsula, paralyzes a critical Supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine.
NATO has reportedly warned its members that Russian President Vladimir Putin could test a massive nuclear torpedo named Poseidon.
Photo: Courtesy of ΝΕΑ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ on Flickr
