The bitter fighting for Bakhmut continues. Meanwhile, ex-military man Igor Girkin believes the Russian army is headed for defeat in the Ukraine war.
KIEV/Moscow – Former Russian separatist leader and war criminal Igor Girkin has expressed disappointment with the progress of Vladimir Putin’s voiced by the armed forces. “Unfortunately, the winter offensive was unsuccessful and Ukraine did not suffer a strategic defeat,” Girkin explained, referring to developments in recent months. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, shared a video of the statement on Twitter on Sunday.
Ukraine war: Putin critic Girkin assumes Russian defeat
The Kremlin troops are not able to destroy the Ukrainian defense systems. For this reason, the former separatist leader also believes that Moscow is unlikely to make any further progress in southern Ukraine. “Russian forces have no chance of breaking through to Transnistria.” The forces could not cross the Dnieper River again “without encountering resistance.” At the beginning of the war, annexation of the pro-Russian pseudo-republic of Transnistria was seen as a possible Russian war aim.
But Girkin even goes one step further. The former military reckons that Russia could be headed for defeat in the Ukraine war. “Under the leadership of the current Russian Defense Ministry with its wonderful, amazing and talented team, I don’t think we’re going to win the war,” Girkin said sarcastically.
High casualty figures: Kiev reports 160,000 fallen Russian soldiers since the beginning of the war
In the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian defenders continue to resist attacks by the Russian army. Last Wednesday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian private army “Group Wagner”, announced that he had taken the eastern part of the city.
Previously, the Russian army and Wagner mercenaries had fought bitterly together for months to advance into the city. The battles inflicted enormous casualties on the Russian army and further increased the number of casualties on the part of Moscow. As the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday, almost 160,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the war began. However, this information cannot be independently verified.
Ex-Separatist leader Girkin: Russian army needs a break from siege of Bakhmuts soon
Girkin went on to write on a Telegram channel that he didn’t think so Russia will be able to hold Bachmut in the long run. “Probably after the onset of the thaw” the Russian military will need a break from the siege. After that, the Putin critic expects a Ukrainian counter-offensive: “We have to be prepared to ward off a Ukrainian attack.”
Military expert Menon: Don’t expect “the war to end anytime soon”
Meanwhile, military expert Rajan Menon from the think tank Defense Priorities does not expect the war to take a decisive turn any time soon. “At this point I see no indication that either side believes it is losing – or will lose – the war. I don’t expect the war to end any time soon either,” Menon told the portal Newsweek.
“Putin could count on his time still benefiting from greater numbers of troops and weapons, and that Western unity will eventually crumble. He doesn’t seem to care about the recent heavy losses of soldiers and weapons,” Menon continued.
Igor Girkin: Kremlin critic and war criminal
Girkin is a former officer in Russia’s internal intelligence service. In 2014, as commander, he led Russian-backed troops in the separatist Donetsk region at the start of the Ukraine conflict. Girkin was involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in July 2014. In November 2022, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in the Netherlands for the murder of 298 people. He is now wanted in Ukraine on terrorism charges. He has been a military blogger since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has repeatedly criticized the Russian leadership around Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Catherine Brumbauer)
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