The Russian commander of the “Vostok” Battalion fighting in southern Ukraine said on Thursday that Ukraine will not be defeated and suggested that Russia freeze the war along current frontlines.
Now and in the near future, no,” Khodakovsky, a former official of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, said yesterday.
“We can [though] enter a phase that is most unfavorable for Ukraine in its ‘independent’ state: a phase of neither peace nor war.
“Khodakovsky may be reintroducing the narrative into the Russian information space on behalf of the faction allegedly interested in freezing the war, although Khodakovsky likely has limited influence on the Russian leadership itself,” ISW said.
Khodakovsky has previously highlighted concerns about the Russian defense in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia regional border area, specifically relating to poor Russian counterbattery capabilities, heavy Russian losses, exhausted Russian forces, and a lack of reserves, ISW noted, and that he has previously called for an operational pause so that Russian forces could reinforce for future operations.
Khodakovsky is a former commander of Ukraine’s Alpha special unit of the Security Service of Ukraine.
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