The Russian military came unprepared for war in Ukraine and is now heading toward defeat, a former commander has claimed.
Igor Girkin, an ex-officer who led Russian militants in Donetsk, said the present situation on the frontline has an “extremely negative” impact on Moscow’s ability to win the war.
However, he did not elaborate on what is currently happening on the battlefield between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Girkin further stated that Russian media has been glossing over the effects of the conflict on the country’s defense industry and economy.
“I’m not afraid to say that we are heading towards military defeat,” the former Federal Security Service officer said, adding that the country’s military, economy, and political system are not ready for a long, protracted war.
Dismissed from service in 2014, Girkin has been critical of Russia’s year-long invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this year, he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for blatantly ignoring Moscow’s alleged failures and defeats.
‘Struggling in a Big Way’
Girkin’s assessment that Russia is sleepwalking toward defeat was backed by recent comments from Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.
Milley claimed that invading forces are “struggling in a big way” as they have failed to make any progress in the past 20 days.
He stated that the Ukrainians have been staging a “remarkable” defense, causing Moscow to lose sight of its strategic objectives.
“These (Russian) forces are very undertrained, they are essentially doing frontal assaults into machine gun positions and they are getting slaughtered,” he explained during a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing.
Taking Advantage
Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed that Russian forces have lost “considerable strength” as the war reached its first anniversary.
Heavy sanctions from the West, as well as the continued supply of sophisticated weapons and equipment to Kyiv, have severely hampered Russia’s ability to capture Ukrainian territory.
“Very soon we will take advantage of this opportunity, as we once did near Kyiv, Kharkiv, Balaklia, and Kupyansk,” Syrskyi said on Telegram.
