Everyone is waiting for Ukraine’s expected spring offensive – but the Russia expert does not believe that an offensive can bring back all the lost territory. – The most important thing for Ukraine is to show success so that they can secure support from the Western world, says Russia expert Malcolm Dixelius. Ukraine’s expected spring offensive has begun to resemble World War II’s D-Day, and Ukrainian forces could strike at any time. – Ukraine has shown an outstanding willingness to resist and now they want to take over the initiative, says Russia expert Per Enerud to Efter fem. Exactly what the end goal is for Ukraine is hard to say, but at the moment it is important to show yourself strong. – The most important thing for Ukraine is to show success so that they can secure the support of the Western world. But we should not expect that an offensive can take back all lost territory, says Russia expert Malcolm Dixelius. Putin is under pressure At the same time, news is spreading about divisions within the Russian leadership. – There is a kind of game going on among different actors who want to succeed Vladimir Putin, says Dixelius and continues: – Different forces want to mark that: “I am ready to take over”. “You want a sleeping people” Russia also has great difficulty keeping its propaganda machinery together. The narrative of de-Nazifying Ukraine has begun to falter, according to a report by the British Ministry of Defence. Now the strategy is different. – They want the Russians to imagine that the war is like a kind of weather. Something that goes on in the fringes. You want people who are disinterested and yawn before the war. You want a sleeping population, says Per Enerud. The Kremlin has also canceled parts of the annual parade in Moscow commemorating Russia’s May 9 Victory Day. The Kremlin claims it is for security reasons, but according to the British report, it is done out of fear that the losses in Ukraine will be recalled.
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