It is becoming generally accepted that Ukraine has put Putin in the corner, have him on his knees and turned his hand at his back. Almost seven months into a war that has already taken a number of unexpected turns,
the Ukrainian military has shown the world that they are mighty than they are rated on paper; as it succeeded in driving Russia’s forces out of swaths of territory in southern and eastern Ukraine in a counteroffensive over the past weeks.
With the help and support from the West, the Ukrainian military destroyed Russian logistics hubs and arms depots in a series of strikes over the summer, undercutting the ability of Russian troops to bombard Kyiv’s forces from afar and leaving them vulnerable to attack.
The Russian military didn’t see the counter-effective approach that has led to their rapid collapse. While pushing Putin to his most politically vulnerable point since the onset of the war after a series of embarrassing military setbacks for Moscow.
The course of the war so far reveals that Ukrainian forces have been overwhelming and becoming a pleasant revelation to themselves and the rest of the world.
On the other hand, Russian forces have been underwhelming and have lost their credibility and fear factor. Moscow’s tactical withdrawal from the Kyiv region in the spring as it sought to focus its efforts on eastern Ukraine has not been what Russian troops sought out for – they have lost the battle of the east too.
President Vladimir Putin is now weighing his options, even though he has only clear options left unless Ukrainian troops let Russian federation off their hook. Either to make peace treaty or resort to release of nukes.
Calling truce will make them feel weaker and dropping nukes on Ukraine will mean the active engagement of the Western countries to fight Russia.
“The last 200 years of Russian history suggest that when Russian leaders get into war and don’t win them, they can be in trouble,” said Daniel Fried, a former senior U.S. diplomat now with the Atlantic Council think tank.“ Putin still don’t have stand-out option of what to do.
