The Russian commander of the “Vostok” Battalion fighting in southern Ukraine said on Thursday that Ukraine will not be defeated and suggested that Russia freeze the war along current frontlines.

Alexander Khodakovsky made the candid concession yesterday on his Telegram channel after Russian forces, including his own troops, were devastatingly defeated by Ukrainian marines earlier this week at Urozhaine in the Zaporizhzhia-Donetsk regional border area.

“Can we bring down Ukraine militarily? Now and in the near future, no,” Khodakovsky, a former official of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, said yesterday.

“When I talk to myself about our destiny in this war, I mean that we will not crawl forward, like the [Ukrainians], turning everything into [destroyed] Bakhmuts in our path. And, I do not foresee the easy occupation of cities,” he said.

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[–] Pseudoplatanus22@hexbear.net 27 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Seems as though he's saying basically what most Hexbears are saying: that Ukraine is unstable, and without Western support it will fall. All Russia needs to do is hold out until the West gets bored or pivots to Taiwan, which is easier said than done, admittedly, but is possible.

[–] SeborrheicDermatitis@hexbear.net 5 points 1 year ago

I do not see much evidence that Ukraine will just shatter the second it stops getting western support, though. Of course they'll be disadvantaged, but it's not like they're the ANA, is it? I wrote here about it a bit so I wont bother repeating the comment just to save us both some time lol.

Russia can gain more advantage by waiting things out but even if the west stopped supporting it they still have no route forward to 'total victory' as the Russian leadership imagined (quick and easy replacement of the Ukrainian government with one friendly to Russia and beholden entirely to it), just a slightly more advantageous occupation of some parts of the country. Ukrainians wont just give up though, taking big cities is an immensely difficult thing against a dedicated defender and the further in they get, the more difficult it is to defend supply lines.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

It's based on the US being in it only half-heartedly. Frankly speaking the US withdrawing from the conflict could end it because Russia will stop once it sees that Europe doubles down (after a moment of shock and denial about us being US puppets etc), but so would America actually committing.

Where are the damn ATACMS, America? Guarantees of delivering Abrams for years on end no-matter-what?

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"We could have won if we tried harder" is U.S. cope from Korea, Vietnam, Iraq. Afghanistan...

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee -2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm not American. And no the American cope is "We won Vietnam because we had a higher kill count".

I'm German. And yes we won WWII because we got rid of the Nazis.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 4 points 1 year ago

Both flavors of cope abound regarding Vietnam. I didn't mean to imply I assumed you were American; I'm just pointing out that "if we really took the gloves off they wouldn't stand a chance" is (1) false, (2) a way the public gets sold on the next war, and (3) a silly thing to say when whatever "gloves off" scenario one imagines isn't going to happen.

[–] Ram_The_Manparts@hexbear.net 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm German. And yes we won WWII because we got rid of the Nazis.

You Germans didn't get rid of the nazis, you were the nazis

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My family tree very much would like to disagree.

And in any case it's irrelevant as liberation from the Nazis, indeed, was a liberation. How can you lose when that happens. You know who's pissed that "we lost the war"? Actual Nazis.

[–] Ram_The_Manparts@hexbear.net 2 points 1 year ago

So when are you going to Ukraine to sign up for the frontline?