Top NATO general thinks Russia does not have potential for major breakthrough on battlefield

Ulyana Krychkovska, Alona Mazurenko — 22 January, 10:50
Top NATO general thinks Russia does not have potential for major breakthrough on battlefield
Russian military equipment that was struck by Ukrainian defenders. Stock photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, believes that Russia does not currently have the military capability to make a major breakthrough on the front line in Ukraine.

Source: Holos Ameryky (Voice of America), with reference to Cavoli during a discussion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Journalists asked Cavoli how the situation on the battlefield might develop in 2025. In response, he said that he was not worried that Ukraine could suddenly lose.

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"I don't see the [Russian – ed.] potential for a massive breakdown or breakthrough. And that’s not a political, but a military judgement. And it’s got to do with both sides: the effective defences that the Ukrainians have been putting in, but also the difficulty that the Russian side has in generating significant offensive forces to be able to exploit a potential breakthrough," he explained.

Cavoli believes that this year will see many more small-scale offensives. He stressed that such incremental advances were exhausting for Russia.

"We’ve seen they are exhausting for Russia. There is a reason Russia brought thousands and thousands of soldiers from North Korea in to help fight," he said.

Cavoli also expects that there will continue to be "tension between a desire to advance and the shortage of manpower on the Russian side".

"I think that will define much of the conflict and will push the Russians to use a lot more stand-off weapons, as you’ve seen them increasingly do over the past years," Cavoli concluded.

Background:

  • Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the possibility of ending the war in 2025.
  • However, Zelenskyy stressed that for this to happen, Ukraine must receive reliable security guarantees to strengthen its negotiating position with Russia.

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Russo-Ukrainian war NATO Ukraine Russia
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