Baberowski warns: Putin plays long game, Ukraine faces grim odds
Jörg Baberowski is an expert on the history of Russia and the USSR. The 63-year-old expressed his opinion on the war in Ukraine. In his view, Ukraine is not capable of completely driving Russian troops out of its territory.
Sunday, June 9, marks the 837th day of the war. In the daily communiqué, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported enemy losses. In the past 24 hours, Russia suffered losses of 1,270 soldiers (518,560 since February 24, 2022), 60 artillery units (13,593 since the beginning of the war), and 26 tanks (7,869).
Recently, the Ukrainians have managed to stop the Russian offensive near Kharkiv. However, German expert Jörg Baberowski believes that Russia will still achieve its goals in the war with Ukraine.
Putin will not lose this war. (...) Ukraine is running out of men, and its dependency on American and European arms production is growing. Western weapons systems need to be replaced, repaired, and supplied with ammunition. I doubt the Americans and Europeans will want to be permanently involved in this – said German historian Jörg Baberowski in an interview with "Der Spiegel."
German expert on the war in Ukraine
The German historian with Polish roots (the historian's grandfather was Polish) believes that Ukraine cannot achieve a military victory over Russia. On the other hand, he also notes that Putin's army does not have the resources to decisively tip the scales of victory in its favour.
Therefore, Baberowski warns against Putin, who he believes has adopted a strategy of harassing Ukraine and its allies. The dictator is playing the "war fatigue" card – "Eventually, Putin will get what he demands" – notes the German expert.
Consequences of the war in Russia
The 63-year-old German historian also sees that the war in Ukraine will have internal consequences in Russia. This includes enlightening the Russian elites that Putin's ambitions to revive the Soviet Union are just a pipe dream.
Russia will learn lessons from this war. Its elites will understand that Russia's military capabilities are limited, and its weapons systems cannot compete with the West. Putin may dream of resurrecting the Soviet Union, but that dream will not come true – concluded Baberowski.
