Putin needs pause in war due to Russia's military crisis - General Malomuzh

Ukrainian Army General, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (2005-2010), Mykola Malomuzh, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces have eliminated a huge number of enemy forces, accounting for 90% of the personnel belonging to the army that initiated the attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The personnel of the Russian army has been decimated. Today, Russia is forced to conduct mobilization, recruit contractors of various formats, mercenaries, and even foreigners from distant countries. Obviously, the aggressor country is facing a crisis in the military, technological and economic spheres. Therefore, Putin needs a pause," he said.

Due to certain failures, Putin is discussing the implementation of so-called "peace initiatives." The general characterized it as cynical for an aggressor to inflict harm on the victim on one hand and, on the other hand, propose to cease hostilities.

"However, this is a multi-purpose task. We are talking about a new mobilization strategy, involvement of the military-industrial complex, and international resources from countries that cooperate with them (Iran, North Korea). The Russians want to build up more powerful positions and disorient our partners, especially those who doubt their support for Ukraine," he summarized.

• According to US officials, in the fall, Putin reported that he was satisfied with the Ukrainian territory captured by Russia and was ready to negotiate a ceasefire.
• The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) analyzed a New York Times report that Putin has allegedly been sending signals through intermediaries since September about his readiness for a ceasefire that would "freeze" the Russian-Ukrainian war along the current battle lines. They believe that Putin has been signaling his desire to "freeze" the war in order to distract the West from providing Ukraine with weapons.