Ukrainian forces have a decisive upper hand on the war operations in their massive counter-attack against Russian troops, a former commander of US forces in Europe said. The momentum Ukrainian troops started in August will continue building up into winter and will ultimately lead Ukrainian troops to retake the whole country – even the Crimean peninsula, the former commander said.
When asked about the juncture of the conflict, former commander Ben Hodges told DW News: “So, I believe the Ukrainians have achieved irreversible momentum.
“It’s too early to plan on a victory parade but they clearly have irreversible momentum.
“And in my view, defeat of Russia – Ukrainian victory – which means total restoration of all its sovereign territory, including Crimea, is inevitable.”
Mr Hodges, however, said Ukraine’s victory on the battelfield depends on Western support in the long run.
He said: “How fast that happens depends on whether or not we can continue to deliver everything we promised and if we keep the sanctions in place.
“I believe that Ukraine will continue to fight through the winter.
“They will not stop just because the weather begins to turn bad because they want to keep the pressure on Russian forces.”
READ MORE: Russian losses mapped as 80,000 troops dead and 6,000km land retaken