Russia may attempt new offensive in Ukraine, but it is unlikely to succeed – retired German general

Retired German general and historian Klaus Wittmann expressed this opinion in an interview with Ukrinform.

"Yes, it's possible. But I don't think they will achieve much more success than they have so far," Wittmann said when asked whether a Russian offensive could be expected at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

Wittmann noted that the weakness of the Russian armed forces has become very evident over the past three years, and the "aura of Russia's invincibility" was completely shattered by Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region and Russia's "utterly helpless" reaction to the first occupation of its territory since World War II.

The Russian leadership operates on the principle of "quantity over quality," which leads to incredible losses. However, Putin may continue to wage a war of attrition and terror against the civilian population instead of achieving successful advances on the battlefield.

In terms of attrition, the current war has parallels with World War I, said Wittmann, who teaches military history at the University of Potsdam. It is a "trench warfare" with very limited progress for the attacking side, he explained. But unlike in World War II, Russia has such a large demographic advantage over Ukraine that Ukraine cannot afford a prolonged war of attrition.

"That is why it needs all possible support to become stronger, to stop the Russian assault as much as possible, and to repel it," the retired general concluded.

As Ukrinform reported, Russian troops are attempting to create so-called "kill zones," where nothing remains intact, in order to later carry out assault operations and advance.

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