Putin realized that he has less time than he expected, expert says amid sharp escalation of the war

Political strategist Mykhailo Sheitelman said that the Russian-Ukrainian war is now escalating at an insane pace, developing into a serious confrontation between Russia and its allies and the West, Politeka reports.

He said this in his blog.

“Why is there an escalation now and not a year ago? We can only guess. But it seems to me that in Russia they realized they are not capable of fighting a long war. Last year, they assumed they would capture 500–1,000 square kilometers and that we would surrender within two or three years. And then they realized that they have very little time.

“There is a story about Hitler — a theory that he attacked the USSR without finishing with Britain, which many later considered a mistake, because he had learned about some illness that would progress, and he had less time left than he had expected. I think Putin realized that he has less time than he expected. I am not talking about illness now — that would just be speculation. But Putin realized that he has less time, that his economy cannot remain in a state of war indefinitely, and that he needs to win faster. Accordingly, he needs to turn this war into a war against the entire NATO and EU more quickly,” Mykhailo Sheitelman explained.

Moreover, he noted, the current political situation still works in Russia's favor, and Donald Trump is still in office. If Kamala Harris had won, the expert argued, long-range strikes against Russia would still be continuing, Russian oil refineries and warehouses would still be burning, and Western weapons would still be flowing to Ukraine. But there would also be $60 billion from the United States, Tomahawk missiles, the security guarantees agreement signed with Biden would be implemented, and Patriot systems and F-16s would be supplied. In that case, Putin's end would already have come.

“In other words,” he emphasized, “Ukraine is holding out without the United States, and soon it will be doing so with the United States. So Putin and his inner circle understand that very anti-Russian people could come to power — people who would want to finish Russia off.”

“Russians really are planning to attack some countries in Europe. For some reason, I keep thinking about Finland. And Ratcliffe's visit is connected to this, as is the intensification of attacks on Kyiv, because they need to speed things up. And many other developments are connected to this as well. All of these things are links in the same chain.

“We are witnessing a sharp escalation of the conflict — the transformation of Russia's regional war against Ukraine into a full-scale European war first, and then a global war,” Mykhailo Sheitelman claimed.

As another example, the expert cited Lavrov's statement that North Korea and Iran are good company for Russia — meaning, he said, that the three countries are prepared to wage war against the entire world together.

“Everyone has already forgotten about BRICS, the Global South, and the military coups in Africa that Russia supported, because Russia has lost Africa. Brazil is not going to fight alongside Russia. At most, China might pat it on the head. But when it comes to confronting the West, Putin has only North Korea and Iran,” he said.