Former Russian commander Strelkov Igor Ivanovich, also known as Igor Girkin, on Friday listed 12 points on how Russian forces are “guaranteed” to lose their war in Ukraine.
“The discrediting of hostilities in the eyes of the broad masses of the population and the demoralization of the armed forces fighting without reason and suffering casualties will be achieved as soon as possible,” Girkin wrote in the framework of several posts on his Telegram channel entitled ” 12 points on how we are guaranteed to lose the war.”
Girkin is a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine and has long condemned the performance of Russian troops since the invasion began in February 2022.
In his most recent predictions and assessments of the war, he outlined the failure of Russian forces to take control of Ukrainian territories and suggested ways the troops should have acted to make gains in the Eastern European country.
He said on Friday that showing by Kiev’s allies that Russia was willing to negotiate the war would demonstrate “the weakness and insecurity of the ‘elites’ in the Russian Federation,” escalating the conflict and prompting more Western intervention.
“It is especially and crucially important not to change the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the foreign intelligence service, the 5th service of the FSB of Russia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as political advisers on the ‘Ukrainian’ line and curators of the military industry. Our old cadres, proven over decades, are the key to our military defeat,” he wrote.
He continued: “Under no circumstances should the borders be closed so that … during the next ‘mobilization waves’ as many young conscripts as possible could leave the territory of the Russian Federation, which discredits its leadership and demotivates those citizens who will heed the call to go to the front.”
Among the other points made to demonstrate how a Russian loss could be achieved, Girkin railed against Russia’s domestic and foreign policies and stressed possible Chinese support. He also referred to the conflicts between Russian military leaders.
“Conflicts between the leadership of PMC [Private Military Company] “Wagner” and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation should also be encouraged in every possible way, without allowing the conflict to end in favor of one of the conflicting parties – both are important and valuable to us, each fulfilling its task within the framework of our plan,” said he.
“In the future there should be more such conflicts, they should constantly intensify and expand, the parties should discredit each other.”
Girkin said on Sunday that Russian forces had “no chance” to control some regions of Ukraine after an unsuccessful winter.
In a video posted to Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Interior Minister of Ukraine, Girkin said: “Unfortunately, the unsuccessful winter campaign and the fact that the Ukrainian army did not suffer a strategic defeat practically doomed Transnistria to defeat and occupation.”
Western nations, including the United States, have continued to provide military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which has helped troops resist Russian advance attempts.
Combat between Ukrainian and Russian forces has spread to major Ukrainian cities since the war began, including Kiev, Odessa and Kherson. Most recently, Bakhmut, located in the country’s Donetsk region, was the scene of months of fighting between Russian and paramilitary forces against Ukrainian troops.
news week emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
