Ex-US general expects Ukraine to win even in Crimea - in 2023
Created: 12/28/2022, 1:31 p.m
By: Caspar Felix Hoffman
Former US General Ben Hodges claims a Ukrainian victory in the war with Russia is inevitable - maybe in a matter of months.
LONDON/Frankfurt - Former US General Ben Hodges predicts that Ukraine will "probably" defeat Russia in the coming year.
Despite the enormous size of its military, after more than ten months of combat operations, Russia is struggling to achieve key objectives in Ukraine.
D
he war in Ukraine has exposed weaknesses in President Vladimir Putin's troops, according to Hodges, including an inability to keep motivated, well-trained soldiers.
This has enabled Ukraine to retake thousands of square kilometers of formerly occupied territory in recent months.
Ben Hodges, former commander of the US Army in Europe, on the ARD talk show ANNE WILL in October 2019. © Eventpress Stauffenberg/Imago
Looking ahead to 2023, Hodges said in an interview with the
BBC
that he believes Ukraine will continue to win victories and may even defeat Russia.
He also added that Ukraine currently has the upper hand.
"It's too early to plan a victory parade in Kyiv, but the momentum is now with Ukraine and I have no doubt that they will win this war, probably in 2023," Hodges said.
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Hodges explained that while Ukraine's progress may slow over the winter as Ukraine faces renewed Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.
However, the Ukrainian military is better equipped to recover from a difficult winter as it is continuously supplied with winter gear by its western allies.
According to Hodges, Ukraine could even regain control of Crimea in 2023 — a region that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
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"When I see the determination of the Ukrainian people and soldiers and the rapidly improving logistical situation in Ukraine, I see no other outcome than a Russian defeat," he told the
BBC
.
(cas)