Russia Signals an Early End to Ukraine Invasion as Losses Mount
Russia will never fully conquer Ukraine, and it appears as though the Kremlin is finally coming to terms with this reality.
What Vladimir Putin thought would be 72 hour mission to topple Kyiv and absorb the whole of Ukraine into Russia’s bosom has turned into a prolonged and embarrassing failure for the Kremlin. Now more than two months into the conflict, and Russia has moved the goalposts with a frequency resembling that of a hummingbird flapping its wings.
Now, with casualties mounting and morale in the toilet, Russia is once again softening its goals.
Russia has potentially signaled intent to end the invasion of Ukraine and integrate the Kherson region, an intelligence expert told Fox News Digital.
Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists that “residents of Kherson must decide for themselves” whether they will “appeal” for “integration of the region into the Russian territory,” according to TASS.
Peskov refused to be drawn on the possibility of a referendum, saying he “stated what I wanted to state,” but former DIA officer Rebekah Koffler argued that Moscow will proceed with a referendum to provide “legal justification” for Russia to integrate Kherson.
The shift was obvious to experts.
“This is the first time, since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, that such a senior Russian official mentioned the idea of ending the ‘special operation,’” Koffler said.
The Kherson region would provide Russia its much-desired access to Southern Ukraine and establish a land bridge to Crimea. By securing this access, Russia would be able to control the mouth of the Dnieper River, which bisects Ukraine and provides access along the length of the country.
“Realizing he can’t win the war – as long as the U.S. and NATO are providing formidable weaponry and real-time intelligence to Ukraine – Putin is probably considering cutting his losses and ending the operation at this stage,” Koffler said.
The only catch now is that Ukraine appears to be making great strides against Russia, and this further annexation will likely not come easy for the already-exposed Russian army.