Russia 'on brink of collapse' as military expert warns of nuclear chaos to come

Retired wide Ben Hodges drew a examination betwixt Russia and the Soviet Union, informing we should beryllium prepared for the eventual illness of Vladimir Putin's country

Russia is connected the brink of "collapse" and the satellite needs to hole for imaginable nuclear chaos wrong the country, a subject adept has claimed.

Retired wide Ben Hodges, who erstwhile served arsenic commandant of the United States Army successful Europe, suggested that Vladimir Putin's state could interruption up into respective tiny states arsenic its days arsenic a unified republic are numbered. The erstwhile elder US subject commander, who has been a regular commentator connected Russia's warfare successful Ukraine, warned that if this happened, it could origin a caller question of refugees and imaginable atomic chaos.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian combat losses magnitude to 812,670 troops, though this fig hasn't been confirmed by Putin and estimates vary. The warfare successful Ukraine, which began astir 3 years agone successful February 2022, is placing immense accent not conscionable connected Russia's quality resources but besides connected its economy.

In an interrogation with The Ukrainian Review, Mr Hodges said we should beryllium "anticipating the eventual collapse" of Russia, arsenic helium drew a examination with the illness of the Soviet Union. He said: "I deliberation astir everybody was amazed that the Soviet Union collapsed. It happens truthful suddenly. We were not prepared for what happened aft the illness of the Soviet Union. So, I deliberation we should beryllium anticipating the eventual collapse.

"I deliberation the Russian Federation is collapsing now. It's not successful a consecutive line, but it is happening. We should beryllium reasoning astir what volition happen. There volition beryllium refugees. There volition beryllium interest astir atomic weapons. There volition beryllium radical acrophobic astir power of lipid and state and each the different resources.

"And immoderate parts of the Federation volition privation to go independent, others volition take to stay affiliated with Moscow. We should beryllium reasoning astir however we privation that to extremity up."

The retired wide argued that helping Ukraine to decision Russia was strategically important for some European and US information and that it would deter China from invading Taiwan. He besides praised Ukraine's onslaught successful Kursk arsenic a "brilliant" determination that wrong-footed the kremlin.

Mr Hodges, who has been a Senior Advisor to Human Rights First since June 2022, said: "It took the inaugural distant from the Russian broadside and forced the Russians present to person to woody with a strategical and operational challenge. That seems wholly appropriate. And a portion of a bully defence is being capable to spell connected the offence erstwhile you request to astatine the operational level."

At the weekend, immoderate Russian substance depots went up successful flames aft being targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks. An overnight onslaught connected Lyudinovo successful Kaluga portion ignited a cardinal lipid installation supplying the Putin warfare machine.

The Uzlovaya lipid depot successful Tula portion was besides engulfed successful flames aft an onslaught by Ukraine. This followed a treble onslaught by Ukrainian drones connected an aviation substance basal successful Engels, Saratov region, wherever occurrence was raging 10 days aft the archetypal hit.

The inferno has chopped substance supplies for Putin's strategical atomic bomber craft - Tu-95 and Tu-160 - based astatine adjacent Engels-2 aerial base. Another cardinal lipid depot astatine Liski successful Voronezh portion continued to pain the time aft it was deed by Ukrainian drones.