A former senior US army commander says Russia is in the process of “collapsing” and that the world needs to prepare for potential nuclear chaos inside the country.
Ben Hodges is a retired general who once served as the commander of the United States Army in Europe.
He has been a prolific commentator on Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has seen Vladimir Putin’s forces sustain catastrophic casualties during almost three years of fighting.
According to Ukraine’s military, over 800,000 Russians have been killed or injured, although estimates vary.
The war in Ukraine is placing huge stress not just on Russia’s human resources but also on its economy, which shows signs of overheating and buckling under the strain.
In an interview with the publication Ukrainian Review, Hodges suggested that Russia’s days as a unified republic are numbered and that the country could break up into a large number of smaller states.
Such an outcome could lead to a new wave of refugees and potential nuclear chaos, he warned.
“I think the Russian Federation is collapsing now. It’s not in a straight line, but it is happening,” he said.
“We should be thinking about what will happen. There will be refugees. There will be concern about nuclear weapons.
“There will be people concerned about control of oil and gas and all the other resources.
“And some parts of the Federation will want to become independent, others will choose to remain affiliated with Moscow.
“We should be thinking about how we want that to end up.”
The retired General argued that helping Ukraine to defeat Russia was strategically important for both European and US security and that it would deter China from invading Taiwan.
He praised Ukraine’s attack in Kursk as a “brilliant” move that spectacularly wrong footed the Kremlin.
“It took the initiative away from the Russian side and forced the Russians now to have to deal with a strategic and operational challenge,” he explained.
“That seems entirely appropriate. And a part of a good defence is being able to go on the offence when you need to at the operational level.”
