“He just wants the battle to last as long as possible,” Bolder says. ‘And the stories he told, even for military leaders, are meant for us too; the west. He wants to send the message that the West may continue to support Ukraine, but that its pockets are deeper and its stockpiles are bigger. He wants to give the impression that he can last longer, and with that he hopes that the West loses support for Ukraine and can actually win.”
But talk doesn’t fill holes, thinks Bolder. “It’s incredibly important because the United States has pledged $100 billion in aid to Ukraine,” he continues. “It’s far from finished, half of it is still there. And the Netherlands will again offer several billion in support. So as long as the West continues to form a closed front, Putin will not be right. He wants to break unity in the West ».
Bachmoth
While Western unity towards Ukraine is a factor in Ukrainian success, the fighting spirit of Ukrainians is equally important. Something that is all the more visible in the battle around Bachmut, where the private Russian army tries to devastate Wagner. However, they are unsuccessful. Bolder: ‘It looks like the new Ukrainian troops that have been deployed to defend Bachmut are winning. So the Wagner troops were pushed back.”
According to British media, more than 50,000 Wagner soldiers are present in the area around Bachmoet. “Of these, 10,000 are under contract, and the remaining 40,000 troops are ex-convicts,” said Bolder, who also claims Wagner is in trouble. “They want to mobilize the inmates to take part in the struggle. In the form of military doctors, but also to provide other services that the Wagner group would need”.