Frontline: The War in Ukraine and Global Security

“This is about the fifth person in his inner circle who was about to be arrested for corruption.”Putin’s problems amount as his éminence grise, Vladislav Surkov, “suddenly disappeared”, says Kremlinologist and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Diane Francis.

“The weaknesses they have shown are very serious indeed…the quality of troops and fighting spirit, despite all their deprivations, the Ukrainian side is beginning to expose what a dreadful mess the Russian units are in .”Ukraine have been taking advantage of Putin’s weaknesses on the battlefield as Russian troops turn on each other, says The Standard’s defence editor Robert Fox.

“In terms of ability, competence, sophistication, Ukraine is streaks ahead.”Ukraine’s ability to develop sophisticated strategies with their drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and airfields is making “Putin and his advisers think”, says former clerk in House of Commons for the defence committee Eliot Wilson.

“It’s bringing the fight a lot closer to the Russian military inside Russia.”Ukraine’s newly developed long-range missile packages have breached Putin’s walls and are targeting oil refineries and infrastructure inside Russia, says former US special envoy to Ukraine, Ambassador Kurt Volker.

Russia continues to lose Ukrainian territory omn the southern fronts after Starlink bans sent Russian logistics and comms into crisis says Prof. Scott Lucas on Frontline.

“Now we’re seeing Ukrainian cruise missiles come online...there’s the possibility they can get the upper hand again.”Ukraine is developing their capabilities when it comes to cruise missiles as they are more accurate, says director of military sciences at RUSI Mathew Savill.

Putin will be worried about his survival as talks and military offensives fail to hand the Donbas to Russia, warns John Lough from the New Eurasian Strategies centre.

“Putin’s generals or his elites around him may see that enough is enough and he could be forced out.”Targeting Russia’s oil supply will bring Putin “to his knees” as it will hit the war economy where it hurts, says analyst at the Atlantic Council Michael Bociurkiw.[3:13 PM]