In the event of a military clash between Russia and Ukraine, most of the Ukrainian troops will be destroyed in 30-40 minutes. This was stated by Robert Lee, professor at King’s College London and veteran of the United States Marine Corps, in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, December 9.
“If Russia does indeed use its weapons, they can cause enormous damage in a very short period of time. They can destroy Ukrainian troops in the east very quickly, within the first 30-40 minutes, ”the expert emphasized.
According to the publication, this opinion is also shared by some officials in Kiev. In particular, as the newspaper notes, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kirill Budanov drew attention to the failure of the armies to resist the power of Russia in the event of a possible start of an armed conflict.
According to him, Ukrainian troops will be defeated in a short time. At the same time, Budanov assured that without the introduction of reserves into battle “no army in the world will survive,” writes Gazeta.Ru.
Earlier that day, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia does not plan to strike at Ukraine. According to him, the Russian Federation has the right to move troops across its territory in any direction. Moreover, against the background of increased NATO activity at the borders, the Kremlin spokesman said.
Recently, articles have appeared in Western media about an allegedly possible Russian invasion. So, on November 19, The New York Times reported that the US administration had warned the allies about the alleged plans of the Russian Federation to attack the territory of Ukraine and called for the preparation of new anti-Russian measures. The Russian side has repeatedly denied such accusations.
On December 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that after admission to NATO, weapons threatening Russia could be deployed in Ukraine. The head of state also expressed the hope that “all concerns about NATO expansion” will be heard.
On November 21, Dmitry Peskov stressed that the West is artificially whipping up hysteria with its statements about Russia’s alleged preparation for an attack on Ukraine. According to him, provocations are not ruled out, and NATO countries should stop “pumping up Ukraine with modern weapons.”