A Ukrainian general made a dire prediction for his country and NATO, focus.de reported.
Deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Vadym Skibitsky said in an interview with The Economist that the war in Ukraine can no longer be won only on the battlefield. According to him, at some point, Kiev will have to negotiate with Vladimir Putin. He also claimed that the Russians could take over the Baltic countries in seven days.
Vadim Skibitsky said that Ukrainian forces are currently in a difficult situation, even more difficult than the first days of the Russian invasion. He revealed that Vladimir Putin had ordered his forces to make a breakthrough on the front before Victory Day, or at the latest before his visit to China days later.
Skibitsky revealed that the Ukrainian army is facing a huge problem – the lack of weapons. Ukraine's immediate concern is its stronghold of Chasov Yar, which is key to Russia's advance on the last major cities in the Donetsk region. “It is probably only a matter of time before this town falls, like Avdeevka, reduced to rubble by the Russians in February,”, the general said. “Of course, not today or tomorrow, but everything depends on our reserves and supplies”.
Ukraine is currently far from stabilizing the situation. Russia, on the other hand, is doing everything in its power to achieve a greater victory. The Russian army, the general said, is no longer the arrogant organization it was in 2022, but now operates as a “single formation, with a clear plan and under a single command”.
Russia has committed a total of 514,000 troops in Ukraine. Ukraine's intelligence official says the Russian Northern Group, located across the border near Kharkiv, currently numbers 35,000 but will be increased to 50,000 to 70,000. However, according to him, this is not enough for the Russians to capture such a large city, but they will continue to bombard it.
Russia has a three-stage plan to destabilize Ukraine. The first is military, which means that the Russian army will try to make the most of the lack of ammunition in the ZSU before the help from the US reaches the front. The second factor is the Russian disinformation campaign in Ukraine aimed at undermining the Ukrainian mobilization and the political legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelensky. The third factor, according to the general, is Russia's tireless attempt to isolate Ukraine internationally.
According to Vadim Skibitsky, both Ukraine and Russia have a problem with mobilization. Skibitsky sees no way for Ukraine to win the war on the battlefield alone. Even if Ukraine succeeds in pushing Russian forces back to its borders, it will not end the war. Such wars can only be ended by treaties. However, he believes that meaningful negotiations can begin in the second half of 2025 at the earliest.
For the general, Europe is the biggest unknown factor in this war. If Ukraine's neighbors don't find a way to increase arms production to help Ukraine, they too will eventually become targets of Russia, he argued. According to him, in 7 days the Russian army will be able to capture the Baltic countries.
According to Skibitsky, Ukraine has done Europe and NATO a favor by stopping the Russian army. The question now is whether he will get help in return. “We will continue to fight. We do not have another choice. We want to live. But the outcome of the war does not depend only on us”, said the Ukrainian military.