Andrei Zubov: Moscow lost war in Ukraine

Putin has not been able to achieve his main goal in Ukraine.

Such an opinion has been given to Espreso TV by a Russian Professor, Doctor of Historical Sciences Andrei Zubov, who had taken it upon himself to criticize Putin’s policy towards Ukraine and was dismissed from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) for his statements about inadmissibility of Crimea’s occupation, Ukrinform writes.

As said by him, the Kremlin had not been able to achieve his main goal – to prevent existence of a democratic, pro-European government in Ukraine: “On the contrary, the presidential election, the parliamentary election have been held in Ukraine, and now Ukraine has established itself as a state politically, in spite of the harsh conditions.”

Zubov has stressed that the occupied Crimean peninsula has become “a millstone around the neck of Russia”, as it is a beneficiary region, a difficult one, which is isolating Russia from the rest of the world in the world arena.

As for Donbas, the professor has noted that Russian servicemen have to maintain control over the seized territories constantly, however they are unable to advance across the territory of Ukraine.

“No matter how Putin tried to take revenge near Debaltsevo, no matter how many times the head of the “DNR” Zakharchenko repeated how he was going to reach Kyiv, – they haven’t eventually reached it. The military goal has not been achieved – that is why the war is lost. The war is not necessarily lost only when one country’s army marches into the capital of the other country… The war is lost when the goals of the war have not been achieved, and it is not possible to carry on war anymore,” he stated.

According to the scientist, Moscow hesitates to open hostilities, as it knows: as soon as the new stage of the war starts, new sanctions are to be imposed immediately, and the US is to start deliveries of weapons to Ukraine.

“It means, on the one hand, Moscow is pressed by the courageous resistance of Ukrainians, and on the other hand – by the unanimity of the entire Western world. He is trying to split them somehow, but it doesn’t work out. That is exactly why the war is lost,” Zubov underlined.