I begin this article acknowledging that I am a Ukrainian loyalist and have stated in the past that I feel it is essential that Ukraine be victorious against the invading Russian forces of Vladimir Putin, not only for Ukraine’s sake but for the sake of all freedom loving peoples throughout the world.
With that said, I thought it very interesting and peculiar that sources out of Russia are reporting that Putin will soon hand over control of the invasion to an Ex-FSB head while he undergoes cancer surgery. Certainly, disinformation in times of war, especially from the Kremlin, is not unusual and there could be little basis for these reports.
At the same time, it is I think undeniable that Phase 1 of the Russian invasion was a complete disaster and Phase 2, for all the talk about a massive Russian build-up and renewed offensive in a more geographically limited area closer to Russia’s borders, is not proving yet to be much better than Phase 1.
With more and heavier weapons pouring into Ukraine from NATO and NATO aligned countries and Russian morale declining each day, is it reasonable to expect that the Kremlin would not be looking for an exit strategy? Threats against countries arming Ukraine and nuclear saber rattling has only pushed neutral Finland and Sweden to seriously consider joining NATO, a disaster in the making for Putin’s dreams of reinventing Russian hegemony. But are the Ukrainians and their allies losing their resolve?
An undeniable realization is dawning in Russia that Putin the strongman is not so strong. Putin the cold and calculating former KGB officer is not the leader he was made out to be. If it is true that under Putin’s leadership Russia had poured billions of dollars in the last decade into modernizing their military, what does it demonstrate about Russia’s military that they can’t even secure Ukrainian cities with large Russian speaking populations a short drive from their border?
The clock is ticking for Putin and he knows it and everyone else around him knows it. The exact time and event that will cause Putin’s hold on power to reach the tipping point is unknown, but the Kremlin may have just signaled the beginning of their capitulation.