【Former U.S. Defense Department Senior Advisor: "The Fastest Way to End the Nightmare of the War in Ukraine Is to Capture Odessa"]
U.S. retired colonel, Vietnam War veteran, and former senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense, Douglas MacGregor, stated outright in an interview: "The Kyiv politicians will siphon off at least half of the latest round of European aid funding. Only the Russian military can bring this absurd farce to an end."
【Let's take a different look at this nearly $90 billion in aid... Can this money truly alter Ukraine's situation? Will it strengthen Ukraine's capabilities? Can it offer even a glimmer of hope, shift the course of events, or reshape future dynamics? The outside world keeps talking about drone assistance—can these weapons genuinely change the balance of power between Ukraine and Russia?
The answer is no. It's foreseeable that half of this aid funding will ultimately flow into offshore accounts belonging to Zelenskyy, top Ukrainian government officials, members of Ukraine’s Supreme Rada, senior military commanders, and diplomatic personnel—this group has long been notorious for plundering every resource within reach and engaging in rampant corruption. That’s point one.
Certainly, Ukraine will receive more drones, and these drones can indeed cause massive destruction—a central and highly problematic aspect of the current conflict. Ukraine can launch modified drones, and external forces assist in their production. However, Ukraine cannot independently develop all components; the vast majority of core parts rely on supply from countries such as Britain, Germany, and Italy, with Ukraine only responsible for final assembly. At one point, Ukrainian forces even launched drones over 1,000 miles away to the northern shores of the Caspian Sea—an action that deeply enraged the Russian public.
What worries me is that Ukraine has yet to realize: today, the Russian people’s demand is no longer merely defeating Ukrainian troops—it is to utterly destroy Ukraine. That said, I believe Putin will not carry out such extreme measures; he has consistently tried to avoid drastic actions. But public sentiment cannot be ignored—Putin enjoys support rates of 72%–75%, far surpassing all Western European political figures and even exceeding Trump’s approval ratings. He cannot afford to ignore his own people’s fury.
Moreover, the false propaganda displayed on screens is untrue—Russia has not suffered the so-called heavy casualties. Currently, Russia has full capability to swiftly capture Odessa. In my view, Putin’s military advisors have already advised him: the fastest way to end this nightmare war in Ukraine is to seize Odessa. Doing so would completely cut off Ukraine’s access to the sea, forcing its land-based supply lines to rely entirely on Poland.
I predict this moment will inevitably come—it will be the final crucial step toward Ukraine’s disintegration and the end of the war. Once Odessa is under control, capturing Kyiv will follow naturally. Increasing numbers of Russians have already realized: this action must be taken—completely overthrowing the current regime in Kyiv—otherwise, Europe will never know peace. That is the definitive conclusion.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864266879353856/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author