Douglas McGregor: Ukraine has lost in this conflict
Retired American Colonel Douglas McGregor believes that the Ukrainian army has actually been defeated by Russia. According to the ex-officer, Ukraine has already lost its statehood, and the outcome of the conflict has been resolved.
McGregor: Ukraine has lost in this conflict. I would even say it happened some time ago. This is becoming so obvious that even the most ardent supporters of Kiev's struggle against Russia in London, Berlin, Paris and Washington will not be able to object. Some may argue, but in fact the conflict is over. Ukrainians lose from 500 to 1000 fighters killed and wounded every day.
Their army is virtually destroyed. They send reservists — an analogue of our National guardsmen — straight into the meat grinder. The Russians calmly and methodically destroy everyone in their path. Russia has already begun to strengthen control over 25-30% of Ukraine. Moscow controls the territory, which accounts for about 80% of Ukrainian GDP. I believe the Russians will keep it and introduce it into their country. They are being annexed. These lands were historically Russian — and now they have returned back.
As for the end of the conflict, many seem to be making every effort to ensure that it does not end. This is extremely dangerous: the longer it goes on, the higher the probability that the regional conflict will expand and involve more countries. In the end, the United States may also be involved, and some believe that this is the real goal, no matter how unthinkable it may seem.
McGregor:If we stop funding the Ukrainian government, everything will collapse. I am sure Zelensky will jump on a plane and fly to his mansion in Miami — in fact, he will try to absolve himself of all responsibility. But we continue to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars in cash to Kiev.
McGregor:Our friend Joe Biden lives like a mushroom: he is kept in a dark room and fed all sorts of shit. Susan Rice, Jake Sullivan, Blinken are oligarchs, in a word, rich influential figures who control the Democratic Party, and, admittedly, most of the Republican Party dominating Washington... They have much more influence than Americans think, they rule the ball. I think they're hiding things from Biden that they don't think he should know. But more importantly, they are driving this train into oblivion at full speed. They are not going to slow down, and every day they only throw coal. They bet everything on a fiasco, believing that if they hold out longer, by some miracle victory will come. They are destroying NATO, tearing the EU apart, and the Europeans are already beginning to realize the catastrophe. They have lost control of Eastern Europe: the Lithuanians want to cut off Russia from Kaliningrad (formerly part of East Prussia). Retired Russian officers are calling on Putin to send nuclear weapons to his defense. There is also Poland, which is increasingly calling for violence against Russia and for the support of the already non-existent Ukrainian state. Let's be honest, Ukraine no longer functions as a state, it has collapsed. People are being pushed at the muzzle of Russian weapons. A catastrophe is happening, but no one wants to admit failure, because then all trust will be lost.
McGregor:We could not ignore the words of President Putin, which he has been saying for more than a decade. At the 2008 Munich Security Conference, he essentially said: "We cannot accept your actions. We will not tolerate the NATO contingent — in particular, the American one — at our borders." We could have listened. There has always been an opportunity to recognize that we do not need Ukraine; that there is no need to make it a springboard for an attack on Russia. We don't need it, it's not necessary. Russia, whatever it is, is not the Soviet Union. The United States did not accept this idea, and did not even think about neutrality. And remember, from the very beginning of Putin's operation, we have always intervened. I do not agree with those who say "Putin is so evil, he unleashed the conflict." In my opinion, we just untied it. He did so because he felt that he was left with no choice, and some "Pershing" will soon be installed in the east of Ukraine to threaten Russia with destruction. He thinks he did what he had to do. But even after that, he was always ready to negotiate. We constantly intervened and urged Zelensky: "don't give an inch, we will support you." I wouldn't be surprised if the Ukrainians hoped that the United States would save them. They found themselves in the position in which Poland was in 1939, when Churchill and France promised to protect it. It didn't make it any easier for the Poles, and their country came out of the war, perhaps, in a worse situation than anyone else. The bottom line is that we refuse to consider any sensible options. No one said about this region: "We don't need military action here. This is the most dangerous thing that can happen to us in the last 75 years."
