KYIV. UkraineGate . 19 . December . 2022 | War News.
The New York Times published an article with the Russian side’s assessment of the course of the war and the personal opinion of dictator Vladimir Putin. In its material .
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“From the first days of the invasion, Mr. Putin privately admitted that the war did not go as planned,” the article says.
It is also reported that during a meeting in March 2022 with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Putin admitted that the Ukrainians were tougher “than they told me.”
“It’s probably going to be a lot more difficult than we thought. But the war is on their territory, not on ours. We are a big country, and we have patience,” the publication quoted Putin as saying.
The NYT reports that people who know Putin say he is willing to sacrifice countless lives and resources. It also states the thesis that the Russian side wanted to convey to the US leadership in November: no matter how many Russian soldiers are killed or wounded on the battlefield, Russia will not surrender.
“A NATO member warns allies that Putin is willing to accept the death or injury of up to 300,000 Russian servicemen, which is roughly three times his likely losses at the moment,” the article says.
The publication notes that fears about how far Putin can go grow in proportion to Russia’s losses on the battlefield.
“Each time Ukrainian forces launch a major strike against Russia, the bombing of their country increases. And Putin has repeatedly reminded the world that he can use everything at his disposal, including nuclear weapons, to achieve his goal,” the article says.
The NYT notes that some initial supporters of the war are gradually losing faith in the possibility of a Russian victory.
“The Times investigation revealed a stunning cascade of mistakes that began with Putin — deeply isolated during the pandemic, obsessed with his legacy, convinced of his own genius,” the article said.
Citing the words of one of the dictator’s associates, the publication writes that Putin “fell into self-aggrandizement and anti-Western fervor, which led him to make the fateful decision to invade Ukraine almost in complete isolation, without consulting experts who considered the war to be sheer stupidity.” It is noted that even some of the dictator’s closest associates did not know about the start of the invasion “until the tanks started moving.”
“Putin has decided that his own thinking will be enough,” – the publication quotes the words of one of the high-ranking military officers of Russia.
Source: Ukrgate
