The British Defense Minister, ben wallaceassured this Wednesday that morale is low among the Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, but stressed that, at the same time, Vladimir Putin’s regime is ruthless and does not seem to know the limit of violence.
“We have seen many surrenders, but that does not take away from the fact that there is a very ruthless leadership of the Russian armed forces and a president who does not seem to know the limit of how much violence he will use to achieve his objectives,” he said. Wallace to the BBC.
Russian soldiers participating in the Ukrainian invasion must face stiff resistance that has inflicted heavy casualties on Russia. According to a latest report from the Ukrainian armed forces, since the beginning of the invasion on February 24, they have killed 5,840 Russian invaders.
In addition, the Russian soldiers, most of them just 18 years old, are also opposed by the civilians who resist in the cities they pass through, who greet them with the cry of “Assassins!”. Added to this is the fact that part of these civilians, including internationally renowned professional athletes such as the Klitschko brothers, the Sheriff’s coach, or the chess grandmaster Yuriy Timochenko, have enlisted in the Ukrainian Army to combat the Russian invasion.
The minister pointed out that the Russian forces are days behind the schedule that had been set in the invasion of Ukraine and that “creates stress in the logistics supply chains.”
Footage of Russian forces, vicinity of Sumy, Ukraine, marching back to Russian territory. The Ukrainian civilians thank them for leaving there equipment and departing peacefully.
These troops are likely to be treated far more harshly on the Russian side of the boarder. pic.twitter.com/4iQMefRBCD— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) February 28, 2022
“That is why it has been seen that some of these columns have stopped” and also “the strength of the Ukrainian resistance has surprised them,” he added.
Wallace points out that “none of the major cities have been taken” by Russian forces, while warning that an occupying force would face insurgents like those the Soviets had to face in Afghanistan or the West in Iraq.
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“Invading a country with overwhelming force is one thing, occupying a people of 44 million who don’t want you is something very different,” he added.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.