Leaving the war at the moment should already seem to Putin a very attractive idea.
On Monday, Vladimir Putin complained to guests in the Kremlin, that his enemies are trying to “win on the battlefield” and “destroy Russia from within.” Probably the first time it's hard to call him paranoid.
The West is becoming increasingly determined about the war in Ukraine. For months, the Joe Biden administration has been begging Putin to find a “good way out” of the confrontation. The United States has now openly stated that its goal is to help Ukraine defeat Russia and turn off Putin's military machine so that it no longer threatens its neighbors in the future, according to the Washington Post.
On Monday, after a trip to Kyiv, he openly stated: “We want to see Russia weakened to such an extent that it cannot carry out such invasions as Ukraine.” He repeated this signal on Tuesday during talks with NATO allies in Germany.
Read also: The Hill: Putin's war has caused an urgent need to expand the US military-industrial base
This is a high-stakes strategy. Efforts to degrade another country's power by military and economic means do not usually end well. So the publication turned to the White House for comment.
“We want Ukraine to win. We intend to make this invasion a strategic failure for Russia. One of our goals is to limit Russia's ability to do something like this again, “said a spokesman for the US National Security Council.
On Monday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken openly voiced the West's assessment as it tightens its nuts: “Russia loses, Ukraine wins.” And we can say that this has been the case for the last two months. Although it is possible that the bloodiest days of this war are still ahead. The question is whether the pressure strategy will be able to stop Putin and at what cost. Until now, the Russian army was destroyed. Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Monday that 15,000 Russians had been killed, 2,000 Russian armored vehicles destroyed and 60 helicopters and planes shot down. The Russian army, which before the invasion consisted of 120 battalions, lost 25% of its fighting force, Wallace said. This is a heavy blow.
The Russian edition of Mediazone has formulated a clearer human portrait of these losses. Researchers analyzed 1,744 deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine. They found very heavy losses among elite paratroopers, marines and special forces fighters. At least 317 of those killed were officers. 44 had the rank of colonel and above. The victims most often came from poor regions, such as Dagestan or Buryatia. The Biden administration says it has been warning Russia for months about the consequences of the invasion. But Putin did not seem to take it seriously. He sent tanks and missiles to Kyiv on February 24, hoping to win quickly. And after the defeat, he launched a new campaign, focusing on Donbass.
“Never again” – the phrase became a mantra of the West in this war, as after 1945. To defeat Putin, the United States and its NATO allies have increased their arms and ammunition supplies to Ukraine at an incredible rate. But an important tactic would be to stifle Russia's military machine with economic sanctions. This economic suffocation has only just begun. But Biden administration officials are already talking about the first results. US exports to Russia fell by 80% this year. Production of high-precision missiles will stop in Russia when stocks of imported semiconductors run out. Production of tanks at two Russian plants has already stopped due to lack of foreign spare parts.
Read also: FT: Russia will have to stop fighting, but the war against Ukraine will be long
Russia's revenues are slowly but surely evaporating, an unnamed European official said. Buyers are avoiding Russian oil. The outflow of qualified personnel from Russia is accelerating. 50-70 thousand IT specialists have already fled the country. It is expected that another 100,000 such specialists will emigrate in April. According to the official forecast, the Russian economy will shrink by 8.5-15% this year.
Russia is also losing international influence. This month, candidates from Moscow were not selected for four UN agencies. Russia has been expelled from the UN Human Rights Council. The Kremlin's dreams of technological leadership are dying in the steppes of Ukraine along with its soldiers.
“Superpowers sometimes lose in reckless wars. This has happened to the United States in Vietnam and Afghanistan. And this is exactly the fate that awaits Russia in Ukraine. Exit from the war should seem more attractive to Putin than a few months ago, “the article reads.
Recall that during a visit to Kyiv Blinken and Austin announced a new military aid package for Ukraine and the appointment of a new US Ambassador to Ukraine. Russia is so outraged by the Americans' support for Ukraine that the Russian Foreign Ministry has sent a note of protest on this occasion .
See the special topic: The Russian military destroyed 102 educational institutions in Ukraine, another 1,412 were damaged In particular, on April 26, the Russians fired on a school in Lysychansk, in the basement of which 23 people were hiding. War forms “new people” out of Ukrainians Demand for social change is growing in society Musicians “Red Viburnum” was sung from around the world The video features musicians from Poland, the United States, Malaysia and other countries. Russia violates the rights of the wounded, Mariupol Field Hospital on the verge of survival – Denisov The wounded need an urgent evacuation. More and more Russian occupiers refuse to fight after defeats in Ukraine – SBU interception One of the Russian military said that all of him rebelled after the regrouping.
