Posted on 05/13/2022 8:34:28 PM PDT by elpadre
Ukraine's head of military intelligence says the war with Russia is going so well, that it will reach a turning point by mid-August and be over by the end of the year.
It is the most precise and optimistic prediction by a senior Ukrainian official so far.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Major General Kyrylo Budanov also said a coup to remove Vladimir Putin is already under way in Russia and the Russian leader is seriously ill with cancer.
The general's office is dark and stuffed with the paraphernalia of war and espionage, sandbags stacked on its windows, machine guns piled on the floor, and a spare rifle magazine on his desk used as a paperweight.
He is remarkably young to lead his country's military intelligence agency at just 36 years and speaks with the dry precision of his trade.
He showed little emotion, smiling only once as he said in English: "I'm optimistic."
General Budanov correctly predicted when the Russian invasion would happen when others in his government were publicly sceptical and now says he is confident about predicting its conclusion.
"The breaking point will be in the second part of August.
"Most of the active combat actions will have finished by the end of this year.
"As a result, we will renew Ukrainian power in all our territories that we have lost including Donbas and the Crimea."
Russia's tactics have not changed despite its shift to the east he says, and Russia is suffering huge losses though he would not be drawn on Ukrainian casualties.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
I don't see it is possible for Ukraine to keep combat units on the front lines for another three months without relief. They have committed almost all reserves and are in contact with the enemy on a long front, under regular artillery fire. Not a good situation.
I was told, three weeks ago, the Uke’s won this war
Yep...it’s in the deep state’s interests to keep the war going, but if this one does wrap up ahead of schedule, I’m pretty certain they can get another one started elsewhere, maybe even closer to our shores.
For the record....... how many Ukranian generals have been killed in the war?
Ukraine has credit based on the solid asset of all Russian assets captured by the western sanctions.
The Russian economy will be forced to pay reparations for decades to come
Pooty dead and gone! Make that Xi too.
You are right. But not that long. Ukraine government will be broke in a few months. Worse, so will its citizens.
The war is not the driving factor, per se. Its the self-inflicted damage done by the pro-Russian socialist Economic Minister. She has decided that fuel, gasoline and diesel, can only be bought at the prices she has set. Those prices are below wholesale; so the wholesalers cannot make a profit, but only a loss and have mostly shut down.
The little fuel that comes into the country goes to the military, with civilians getting little to none. So they farming is limited, people cannot drive to work and are losing all income.
With Orc mines in farm fields, may farmers cannot farm, no matter the fuel. With the Orcs in control of the ports, the farmers cannot ship grain. As a consequence, the grain harvest is predicted to come in at around 40% of normal. That does not take into count that many wheat farmers have planted buckwheat and oats. Most of the harvest will be used internally, with little remaining for any possible export.
No harvests, no exports, few able to work, and many major industrial centers destroyed, Ukraine will not realize the tax revenue needed to keep the country going.
They have committed almost all reserves and are in contact with the enemy on a long front, under regular artillery fire
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The hope (plan?) is that US, UK and German modern artillery and shells, coupled with advanced counter-battery radars, will drive the Orc artillery back, allowing UA troops to advance - without taking heavy casualties.
The UA has been training new troops, but deployment is halted due to lack of modern rifles, machine guns, and kit. They are issuing Soviet WWII era helmets, Enfield rifles, Maxim (water cooled) WWI machine guns, and WWII Soviet DP-27 machine guns. Ammo is in short supply and artillery shells are almost exhausted.
The whole problem is that the UA is saddled with poor commanders often making very bad decisions. A month ago there was a very capable commander of the 53rd, I think, who was making good progress in the Mykolayiv region, but some local politicians didn’t like him, had him removed and sent elsewhere - progress ground to a halt and then into a slow retreat before stabilizing.
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