The full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine, which has been ongoing for 21 months, has entered a critical period.
This was reported by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, to "Interfax-Ukraine."
In his opinion, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin believes that by failing to defeat Ukraine within three days in a large-scale war, the Kremlin has passed the point of no return in relations with the West.
"There is no turning back; Putin can only triumphantly win or disastrously lose," Lytvynenko noted.
According to him, Putin is convinced that "to regain Ukraine and the rest of the 'historical Russian lands' and restore the empire can only be done within the framework of a global redistribution of the world."
Such redistribution may take 10-15 years, be accompanied by conflicts of various scales and intensities, possibly involving the use of nuclear weapons.
"At the same time, the war against Ukraine is currently perceived by the Kremlin as an important but not the only front for the Russian Federation, which is effectively waging a global war against the United States and the West as a whole," added the head of foreign intelligence.
Oleksandr Lytvynenko
Lytvynenko also noted that Putin's goals remain unchanged. He needs as much territory of Ukraine as he can obtain because, for Russians, it is about the "return of historically Russian lands."
"The war has entered the stage of attrition. There is increasing evidence that the Kremlin is ready to wage war for as long as necessary. Russia is already incorporating the 'SVCh' (special military district) factor into the plans for the formation of the Russian Armed Forces in 2024-2025, recruiting military personnel," he said.
According to him, the Kremlin believes that it has enough resources (military-technical, economic, and human) for combat operations against Ukraine at the current level for an extended period. At the same time, Moscow is convinced that Ukraine's internal resources are supposedly "approaching complete exhaustion."
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President, recently stated that it is unknown when the war in Ukraine with Russian invaders will end. However, if we compare it to a 100-meter race, the Armed Forces have already covered 70 meters. Yermak also expressed the opinion that the next year will be decisive in the full-scale war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia, and a turning point is approaching.
Recently, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Russia has no intention of ending its large-scale military aggression against Ukraine, and the war may continue for quite some time. Western countries should continue to provide support for the counteroffensive operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.