Ukraine Has ‘Tremendous Opportunity To Kill As Many Russians As They Can’: Ex-US General

A former U.S. Army major general suggested that Russia is in a “bad spot” at this point in the war and that Ukraine would have a good chance to fend off Russian attacks.

In his interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett, retired Maj. Gen. James “Spider” Marks said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “throwing good money after bad” by quickly deploying additional Russian troops on the battlefield instead of providing them with proper training to fight the Ukrainian forces.

“Russia is in a bad spot right now, and they know it. And time is not on their side, other than the strategic length of this engagement,” Marks said.

“He’s [Putin] throwing good money after bad. These soldiers are not going to be trained, as you indicated. They are going to be rushed into the fight,” he added.

Marks argued that this tactic of Russia would only lead to more casualties on their side.

“I think Ukrainians are going to have a tremendous opportunity to kill as many Russians as they can,” the retired major general said.

Marks’ assessment came amid the growing death toll of Russian troops since Putin ordered a “special military operation” against Ukraine almost a year ago.

In its latest count, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that at least 135,010 Russian military personnel have been killed in the conflict after 910 more Russian soldiers were added to the death toll Thursday.

Aside from the reported casualties, Russia has lost 3,255 tanks, 6,468 armored personnel vehicles, 232 anti-aircraft systems and other pieces of military equipment.

International Business Times could not independently verify the figures of Russian losses provided by Ukraine.

Despite incurring huge losses in the war, Russia has reportedly begun preparing for a “new, huge invasion” in Ukraine, which would likely happen in 10 days.

A Ukrainian military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Foreign Policy that the possible new Russian offensive is “much bigger than what took place in the first wave.”

Russia reportedly assembled 1,800 tanks, 3,950 armored vehicles, 2,700 artillery systems, 810 rocket launch systems, 400 fighter jets and 300 helicopters for its new offensive against Ukraine.

The assessment of the Ukrainian military official echoed remarks previously made by other Ukrainian officials that Russia is amassing more than half a million troops on its border in preparation for a new offensive that would possibly coincide with the first anniversary of the war.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in his interview with French media that the reported 500,000 Russian troops on the border are much higher than the 300,000 newly enlisted soldiers Putin mobilized in September 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also hinted about the new Russian offensive, warning its Western partners that Russia is seeking revenge.