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Putin’s “special operation” in Ukraine would be over in a few days.
Now Russia is said to be preparing the people for a protracted war.
On television, they warn that years of fighting lie ahead.
The play comes during a discussion in a Russian news program about whether Russia will have time to use new, more technologically advanced weapons before the war is won.
– The first thing is to keep calm and win with what we have, says Andreij Gurulyov, former major general in the Russian army and now a member of parliament, on television.
– But don’t wait for the end of the war, don’t wait for anything. It may take a long time before the war is over. I would think it will be 2027-2030, not earlier.
Mobilize hairdressers
The clip from Russian television is published on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister.
Gurulyov goes on to say that the Russian troops will have to fight on while waiting for reinforcements.
– We need to win with modern weapons. We need to get them out to the troops. That’s all, he says.
The presenter asks if Russia should introduce “partial labor mobilization” in order to be able to produce ammunition more quickly.
– Anyone can do this – even a hipster. Already now you can hire a barista or someone from a hair salon. They can learn to make sleeves in a week, says the host of the Russian state-controlled television channel.
Preparing the people for long war
– It is far easier to shut down Moscow. There are so many slack jibs there, answers Andreij Gurulyov.
The tones now are significantly different than they sounded at the beginning of the war.
Back then, people in Russia believed that Kiev would be captured in a couple of days and that the whole of Ukraine would fall shortly afterwards.
According to Newsweek many experts believe that the Russian leadership now seems to be mentally preparing the people for a long drawn-out war.
Sociologist Grigory Yudin tells AFP that teaching is also planned in Russian schools according to that strategy.
– We are talking about a radical, total restructuring of education to mobilize young Russians for war. Right now, the teaching has two purposes – propaganda and basic military training, he says.
Ukraine: Believe in victory this year
Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov recently said he expects the war to end, with Ukrainian victory, in 2023.
The spy chief said then that he expects to see the most intense fighting in March. In the spring, Ukraine is planning a major offensive in the areas still under Russian control.
– Then more areas will be liberated, which means the final loss for Russia, Budanov told ABC News.
– This will happen all over Ukraine, from Crimea to Donbas.
From NATO’s side, they are prepared for the fighting to drag on.
– We see no signs that President Putin is preparing for peace. What we see is that Putin and Russia continue to want to control Ukraine. We see how they deploy more soldiers, more weapons, more resources, said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg this week according to Newsweek.