"From Putin's point of view, the worst-case scenario has occurred": Ex-Bundeswehr general now fears a new phase of the war

Created: 03/06/2022, 06:10

A residential building 26 kilometers west of Kyiv was completely destroyed after a shelling.

© Oleksandr Ratushniak/AP/dpa

The war in Ukraine claims many lives.

A change in tactics by Russia could worsen the situation, says an expert.

Kyiv/Moscow - The escalating Ukraine conflict is already claiming many lives.

But a change in Putin's war plans could make matters worse: a former general in the German army suspects that the Russian president will change his tactics.

This could start a new phase in the war against Ukraine.

Russia's War Against Ukraine: "Blitz War" Plans Failed

"From Putin's point of view, the worst-case scenario has occurred," analyzed former Bundeswehr General Wolf-Dieter Langheld in an interview with

Vladimir Putin actually planned a "lightning war" in which he would have conquered the country within a few days.

The expert suspects that one goal was to use rocket attacks to gain air superiority in Ukraine and then to advance into the capital with ground troops.

More on the background to the Ukraine crisis here.

But Putin did not expect the resistance of the Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government reported 9,000 Russian soldiers killed, according to Russian information, around 498 soldiers were killed.

However, due to the war situation, both pieces of information cannot be checked independently.

But it turns out that the resistance of the Ukrainian soldiers and population is strong.

Has to accept setbacks: Russia's President Putin.

© Andrei Gorshkov

Ukraine war: is Putin planning new war tactics?

For this reason, Putin will change his war strategy, says Langhel.

The Russian military has little experience with such massive resistance.

In other attacks in Syria or Georgia, the Russian army was able to carry out its maneuvers almost without resistance.

The planned tactic of attacking military infrastructure or military bases could be rescheduled with resistance from the population.

British military expert Justin Bronk suspects the same thing.

“Putin did not expect such incredibly energetic resistance from the Ukrainian armed forces and the support of the citizens.

Planning for the Blitzkrieg may have taken six to seven months.

And this plan collapsed in the first 24 hours of the war because of the resistance," says the ex-general on

.

Putin could therefore plan to draw civilians into the war as well.

War in Ukraine: Attacks on civilians herald a new phase

Attacks on civilians are already increasing: on Tuesday (March 1), several people were injured in a rocket attack on an administrative building in the city of Kharkiv, and some died in the attack on the Kiev television tower.

Media reports of rocket attacks on residential areas in large cities such as Chernihiv on the border with Belarus are also increasing.

This map illustrates where the Ukraine war is raging.

Langheld fears that Putin is ushering in a new phase in the war against Ukraine: "It seems as if Putin is now increasingly aiming to wear down and demoralize Ukraine and its people with such attacks." The use of imprecise artillery and massive ground troops could further increase the number of civilian casualties.

If peace talks fail to produce an agreement, the situation could escalate further, the former general predicts.