The head of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service (VLA) Kaupo Rosin has indicated that if the current trends on the battlefield continue, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin could lose his important leverage in peace talks, writes ERR News.
In a video interview with the US media outlet CNN, Rosin said that Putin has less and less time left to win – a stalemate has occurred on the battlefield, and domestic political problems are only growing. In the next four to five months, Putin could lose the ability to participate in negotiations from a position of strength, and time is definitely not in the Russians’ favor.
Rosin also noted that Moscow’s rhetoric has changed, and said that there is no longer talk of absolute victory, and Kremlin representatives admit that the situation on the battlefield is not good. The intelligence chief added that the Russians are currently losing more men than they can recruit.
Ukrainian and US estimates suggest that the Russians are losing between 15,000 and 35,000 soldiers each month. Rosin told CNN that the Kremlin is unlikely to launch a large-scale mobilization campaign, as it could anger an already disgruntled Russian population.
“If the Russians were able to mobilize another couple of hundred thousand more people to the battlefield, that would be a problem
(for Ukraine),” the head of the VLA said, adding that this would pose a risk of widespread internal instability for the Kremlin, and since the Kremlin is very concerned about the internal situation and is closely monitoring it, it would certainly not be an easy decision.
At the same time, Russia will certainly try to make this winter as difficult as the one just passed. Rosin said he does not believe Russians are capable of taking to the streets and holding widespread protests, despite the worsening economic situation: “I really do not see a street revolution at this point, but sometimes such systems are very hollow inside, and if something happens, it will happen very rapidly, and we all will be surprised.”
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