Former Russian colonel warns of dire situation with operation in Ukraine

Mikhail Khodarenok, a former colonel who served on the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and is now a military analyst, joined RT’s 60 Minutes program on May 16 as a guest. He said that the situation for Russia “is obviously going to get worse”, in the context of Ukraine receiving military aid from the West.

“Ukraine’s army can arm a million soldiers, the pursuit of defending their homeland is very clear,” said Khodarenok. “The biggest problem for Russia is the current political isolation. The whole world is against us and we need to solve this.”

“The situation cannot be considered normal when there is an alliance of 42 countries opposing Russia, while our military – political as well as military – technical resources are limited,” this expert added.

Since April, Russia has moved into the second phase of its campaign in Ukraine, focusing its forces on the east. Experts evaluate Russia controlled most of the Donbass region, but could not promote its rapid advance and even reached a stalemate on many fronts, especially in areas with difficult terrain. The weaknesses in the synergies between the units and the armed forces have not been completely overcome.

Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s “military operation” in Ukraine was going “as planned”. In a television program broadcast on May 14, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov emphasized “we will never give up or back down”.

Moscow also repeatedly warned the West not to continue pumping weapons to Ukraine because “that will only prolong the conflict and cause long-term problems”, and considers any foreign weapons on Ukrainian territory. legitimate attack target.

Duc Trung (According to RT)