Retired US Navy intelligence officer Scott Ritter said that the conflict in Ukraine is entering its final phase, noting that the Russian army will begin to “tear up” the supply chains of Ukrainian forces and win in the fall.
“The conflict is entering its final phase. One of the Russian strategies is to almost crush the Ukrainian forces,” Ritter said on his YouTube channel, adding that “the main component of this operation is the destruction of logistics,” according to Russian media reported Wednesday.
“They are running low on ammunition.”
And he added, “The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition, tanks and everything else, so (President Volodymyr) Zelensky is begging for weapons.”
It is noteworthy that, last February, Ritter expected the surrender of the Ukrainian forces by October of this year.
He said that Ukraine would stop receiving Western equipment by mid-summer and would defeat Kiev in the fall.
“You will not achieve major gains in 2023”
On the other hand, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Heinz ruled out on Wednesday that the Russian army would be able to continue fighting at the current level in Ukraine, saying that it was unlikely to control more strategic lands this year.
During a Senate hearing, Haynes added that after major setbacks and heavy losses on the battlefield, “we do not expect the Russian army to sufficiently recover this year its ability to make major field gains,” according to AFP.
Russian tank in the vicinity of Kiev (archives from France Press)
But she noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably thinks time is on his side.” “Putin likely believes that prolonging the war with an intermittent cessation of hostilities may be the best course of action left for him to ultimately protect Russia’s strategic interests in Ukraine,” she said.
become restricted
In a session on the overall views of the US intelligence services, she added, “Putin, a year after the start of his military operation in Ukraine and his failure to achieve the main objectives of the operation, is probably more aware of the limitations of his forces’ capabilities.”
It also indicated that Moscow’s military capabilities have become greatly restricted due to the loss of personnel and the depletion of weapons, as well as trade restrictions and sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies.
Russian tanks in the vicinity of Kiev (archives from France Press)
“may be completely transformed”
Hynes told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Putin’s focus “right now appears to be on achieving more modest military objectives.” And she continued, “If Russia does not launch compulsory mobilization and secure large supplies of ammunition from a third party, it will become more difficult for it to maintain even the current level of offensive operations.”
It also pointed out that the Russian forces “may shift completely” as a result of this to being content with preserving their positions and defending the lands they currently control.
It is noteworthy that since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, European countries and the United States have lined up with Kiev, supporting it with weapons and equipment, while imposing hundreds of sanctions on Moscow, including all economic sectors, as well as Russian officials and wealthy people close to the Kremlin.
