Is Ukraine on verge of victory? Russia has only 10-14 days of capacity left, claims expert
Most of the world knows that Russia's war on Ukraine is not going according to plan. Three weeks in, the Russians are yet to seize Kyiv and hold only a handful of cities in the southern and eastern part of Ukraine. It now appears that the lack of progress could bring an end to the war, in as soon as 10 days. A defense source has claimed that Russia is "running out of manpower and running out of energy," and could be soon overwhelmed by Ukrainians.
In the three-week-long war, Russia has lost several aircraft, multiple tanks and armored carriers, and even the warship Vasily Bykov. Numerous Russian troops have also been arrested or have surrendered to Ukrainian defenders, forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to call upon volunteers, akin to the last days of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich during World War 2. It's clear that Russia has sustained heavy losses, so much so that they've reportedly turned to China for help in supplying weapons and equipment.
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It's unclear if China has done so, but even then it appears as if the Russian army is a spent force. The horror and atrocities of the Russian troops could soon come to an end, leaving Putin red-faced. Could the war soon be over? That's what one expert thinks.
Ukraine on the verge of victory
One senior UK defense source told The Daily Mail on March 14, "Ukraine has Russia on the run. It is running out of manpower and running out of energy. As long as we keep pressing they've got 10 to 14 days before reaching their culminating point. That's when the strength of Ukraine's resistance should become greater than Russia's attacking force." This was a claim made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeneksyy as well.
"Soon the number of downed helicopters of Russia will reach hundreds of units. They have already lost 80 warplanes. Hundreds of tanks and thousands of other units of equipment. In 19 days, the Russian army has lost more in Ukraine than in two bloody and years-long wars in Chechnya," Zelenskyy said in an address released early on March 15. Briefly, even Russians acknowledged that they were on the verge of losing, with Russian National Guard chief Viktor Zolotov saying, "not everything is going as fast as we would like."
However, Zolotov added that Russia would still achieve victory "step by step." What that victory looks like though, may drastically change. It appears the Kremlin has changed tactics, and is now kidnapping democratically elected Ukrainian officials, and replacing them with Russian puppets as it did in Melitopol. However, even that tactic has faced stiff resistance from the remaining residents, who have defiantly raised the Ukrainian flag and slogans in front of Russian troops.
Russia is also being bogged down in its march towards Kyiv and other key cities, with its advance failing to make much progress over the weekend of March 12-13. The cities have largely held out despite heavy shelling, targeting everything from residential areas to factories. The assessment was shared by the US, even as Ukraine acknowledged a growing civilian and military death toll.
It is believed that Moscow has sent all the 150,000 troops it amassed on Ukraine's borders in December and January into the country, with so far at least 10% of the force being eliminated. There is also increased hope of a diplomatic solution, as Russian and Ukrainian officials met for a fourth round of talks on March 14. Whatever the outcome, it certainly looks as if Russia has lost the war, and Putin will be forced to rethink his plans if China does not send immediate help.
