Tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine remain high, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warning that Moscow “can never win a nuclear war.” Mr Stoltenberg also stated that the Kremlin’s “dangerous, irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” must be stopped. President Vladimir Putin declared his nuclear deterrent forces on high alert just days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. His remarks come as the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, told reporters that almost the entire town of Irpin, northwest of the capital, is in Ukrainian hands.
Ukrainian troops have also retaken the western town of Makariv, he said.
Military analysts believe Russia’s invasion did not go as planned, with Ukrainian forces putting up a valiant fight and preventing Russian troops from seizing control of many major cities.
As a result, some experts believe Putin’s invasion could be a political disaster.
“I don’t think Russia can win,” Kurt Volker, a former US ambassador to NATO, told CNBC this week.
He added: “They’re bogged down. They’re having trouble with supplies. They are having trouble with ammunition.
“They are not able to take the major cities. They’re not advancing. They are showing a lot of desperate measures like calling in Syrians or asking the Chinese for help, or threatening to attack the NATO countries’ [weapons] supplies [to Ukraine] and raising the spectre of biological or chemical or nuclear use.
“These are all signs of, I think, desperation. And so time is working against them now.”
Mr Volker also said that Russia’s desperation for a quick win in Ukraine means that it is now resorting to what he described as “barbarian tactics” including “targeting civilians directly, shelling cities” to try to create “fear and exhaustion in the population”.
Since the beginning of the conflict a month ago, the Kremlin has maintained that its forces are engaged in a “special military operation” rather than an invasion.
Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian MP, told Express.co.uk earlier this month that Putin’s plan had “failed.”
She stated: “The Ukrainian army has blocked the entrances to Kyiv, effectively thwarting the Russians’ plan to take the city in 24 hours.
“The 60-kilometer convoy has essentially stalled; it is not moving.”
She urged the West to intervene and provide more military support, saying: “Ukraine’s army has been kicking their a***, the Russian army is not as strong as it should be, it is underequipped, and morale is low.
“It is not a particularly powerful army, and in comparison to NATO armies, I do not believe Russia can compete.
“I’m aware of the nuclear threat that everyone is talking about, but I believe it’s exaggerated.
“After all, there are some less insane people in Putin’s immediate vicinity who will not allow that to happen.” Some Russian intelligence officers are passing information to the West and Ukraine.
“I am confident that these people will prevent the worst from happening.”
Russia has also been targeted with harsh sanctions, and it appears that Putin is prepared to respond.
He announced yesterday that Russia would begin selling its gas in roubles to “unfriendly countries.”
The potential ramifications of that move, which Putin directed his government to resolve in one week, could boost the Russian currency, as a number of European countries continue to rely on Moscow for a large portion of their energy supplies.
