Ukraine’s extraordinary successes on the battlefield caused ecstasy in Washington. But they can do it even more dangerous war.
This is what CNN warns.
The reconquest of the lands occupied by Russia from Ukraine is a testament to the courage of soldiers fighting for the survival of a nation, ingenious military strategy and the failures of the formerly extolled Russian armed forces.
It reaffirms Western support for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government and offers new opportunities to allies. It can also lead to some revision; US military aid, which previously included anti-tank and small arms and then items like drones and howitzers, now may need to be corrected, to help Ukraine consolidate control over the newly conquered territory.
USA: Russian forces withdraw from Ukraine
The attacker is on the run, says an analyst
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“I think this is a key moment. It really changed what would otherwise have been a war of attrition and obviously gave Ukraine an edge that gives it momentum at a critical moment,” the former director told CNN on Monday. of the CIA and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
But Ukraine’s victories have also renewed attention to a chilling unknown: the depth to which the cornered Russian President Vladimir Putin could reach if his losses became politically unacceptable. Putin’s indifference to human slaughter is well established by the atrocities of this war and by Russia’s actions in past brutal conflicts in Chechnya and Syria. Although according to Western intelligence services tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have already died in UkrainePutin says his country “has lost nothing”.
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Kadyrov: My troops control the Zaporozhye region in Ukraine
Message from the leader of Chechnya
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However, those losses are felt at home. Despite the suppression of independent media, criticism has emerged from television commentators and bloggers who have criticized the conduct of the war. Deputies from 18 municipal districts of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kolpino asked Putin to resign. And the Kremlin admitted that Putin was aware of the events, even though he insisted on it the “special operation” in Ukraine will be successful.
What will Russia do next? Putin could use the defeats as an incentive to launch attacks on areas cleared of the air or with artillery and rockets.
It has long been feared in the West that Putin may eventually resort to the use of chemical weapons. Western strategists do not rule out the possibility that Russia may even deploy a limited-yield nuclear weapon on the battlefield as a last resort. Another area of potential impact is Russia’s Zaporozhye nuclear power plant – the largest in Europe – which prompted international nuclear officials to warn that Moscow “plays with fire”.
