Ukraine war: Experts: – Perhaps Putin himself knows that he lost the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will pay a state visit to the United States on Wednesday. There he addressed the US Congress and did Obviously, Ukraine still has a lot of fighting spirit.

He also expressed his thanks for the enormous support that Ukraine has received from the United States and the West.

– This visit to Zelenskyj is very important, it is historic, and it is of course important for Ukraine to ensure continued support from the United States, says Tom Røseth, Director of the Intelligence Department at the Staff School.

The United States has promised to support Ukraine with the Patriot weapons system.

– It’s very special that this would be awarded to someone outside of NATO, it’s a very capable system, so this is a big capability coming in, Roseth says.

How dependent is Ukraine on the aid it is getting now?

– They are very dependent on weapons, because they have exhausted Soviet weapons. This is why the use of Western-made weapons is so important, he said.

– Putin has lost

Inna Sangadjieva, senior advisor to the Helsinki Committee, Putin is clearly on fire right now.

– I think there’s a lot of anger around Putin now, it’s not new for Putin to compare himself to Zelensky, and when Zelensky meets the American president and the Western world unites, it will be a symbol that this is going to be a war that’s hard to win, says Sangadzhieva.

She says it’s special One Things that become increasingly clear as time goes on and the war unfolds.

– This is a war that Putin has already lost. And I also think that Putin himself knows he lost the war, as you say.

The war against NATO

Rosth asserts that President Vladimir Putin has already for some time been rhetoric about the war against Ukraine as a war against NATO.

– The visit to the United States is felt in Moscow, and Moscow now understands that Ukraine has long-standing support from the United States. It fits perfectly with the rhetoric that the war is against NATO, Rosth says.

– Moscow is now primarily trying to restore momentum in the war, but I think it will be difficult for them in the first months of winter, he says.

Putin made new remarks on Wednesday, Where he discussed, among other things, the possibility of using nuclear weapons. He also promised that the army would get all the resources it needed.

Does Putin have the resources to deliver on what he promises here?

– What Russia should do next is militarize the economy and society much more. They should expand the armed forces to 1.5 million, up from 1.1. It takes time to build up new strengths and introduce them in stages. Russia is obviously weak militarily, but they are doing what they can to mobilize. They are recruited by new recruits. They’re on the retreat front in the short term, Rosth says, because this takes time.

Worried about the Russians

Sangadjieva and the Helsinki Committee are very concerned about what is happening internally in Russia.

– We see that the war was a huge mistake and a huge mistake on the part of Putin. What worries us, says Sangadjieva, is that the fight against the West is being waged against critical voices inside Russia.

She notes that one of her partners recently closed. At least 19,000 protesters have also been arrested.

– Conditions are getting worse for those left in Russia, who are trying to stand up against the war, you say.

– Because what do you see in the opposition to the war internally in Russia now?

– First of all, there are still protests. We, the followers, see this every day, but it is not very visible, as it is a large and inconspicuous country, as you say.

She says that the protests inside Russia have changed somewhat recently.

People dare more, they are more creative. The population is beginning to wake up, realizing that the war matters to them too, and that they cannot see how this will end, she says.