A political science professor at UNBC believes the Russian invasion of Ukraine is getting bogged down and is starting to look more like a civil war.
Gary Wilson added that the Russian army underestimated the resilience of the Ukrainian military as well as the country’s residents.
He added the unity of external actors like NATO and the European Union, which has caught the Putin regime off guard.
Wilson told Vista Radio President Vladamir Putin has had to resort to extreme measures to try and pound Ukraine into submission.
“What we are seeing now in Ukraine given the fact the Russian army hasn’t met its objectives is that it’s increasingly resorting to weapons such as missiles and artillery strikes to try and beat down the Ukrainian resistance and occupy key cities and towns.”
He added peace negotiations have tentatively started in places like Turkey, and no concrete breakthroughs have been made.
“It’s always difficult about whether you get directly involved in these kinds of conflicts but I think the west has been providing support on many levels and it certainly has been unified in terms of its sanctions imposed on Russia and that has already taken a toll on the Russian economy,” added Wilson.
Wilson stated the economic sanctions against Russia and its diplomats have been stronger than anticipated – reaching unprecedented levels.
“I think we are going to start seeing the impacts on Russia in the short to medium term and the impact it will have on Russian citizens. Unfortunately, there are many Russian citizens who don’t agree with this war that are going to suffer the consequences.”
He also mentioned Western European countries are trying to diversify their energy resources, becoming less reliant on Russian oil amid the recent invasion of Ukraine.
Wilson said if new partnerships are found, this could have huge consequences for the Russian economy and force the Putin government to look elsewhere.
“It’s going to take some time because the pipeline system that takes oil and gas to Europe is well established whereas the system that takes oil and gas to China is not. We could see that sort of a transition.”
“Given that Russia is so dependent on resource production for its economic health and growth, I think this could have a catastrophic impact on that growth. What we might see happen is internally there will be rumblings against the Putin regime eventually as they become sick of the sanctions and the impact it’s having on their lives.”