The Russian military is "failing in almost every measure with the invasion of Ukraine," but that makes the situation even more dangerous because the Russians have already proven they are capable of "desperation acts," retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt said Tuesday on Newsmax.
"They're not going to stop their objectives, and they've already proven in three weeks that they are capable of desperation acts such as crimes against humanity, acts against the Geneva Convention, use of illegal weapons," Holt said on Newsmax's "National Report." "We see that this morning as we see fire against civilian targets, residences."
His comments come after Pentagon press secretary John Kirby's statements about how the Russian military has made little progress, partly because of its stumbles, missteps, and logistical problems, but otherwise because of Ukraine's strong resistance.
"I would just say that the Russians did not come prepared for the missions that they set out to accomplish, and I wouldn't characterize what the Ukrainians are doing as resistance," Holt told Newsmax. "It is a full defense of their country. It's nothing shy of that."
Meanwhile, the situation will be getting even more dangerous for Kyiv in Ukraine, said Holt.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia didn't expect as much resistance, as it believed in its propaganda, and Holt noted that Ukraine has learned a great deal about the state of Russia's preparedness from the prisoners it has captured.
"Many of them didn't know they were coming to actually fight Ukraine," said Holt. "There's a lot of disarray, but President Zelenskyy is doing what good leaders do. He's standing up. He's telling his people quite honestly what their chances look like and what their odds are."
Zelenskyy is also asking for support from the international community, and "that's the right thing to do," said Holt.
It's also a positive sign that the leaders of three NATO member states, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia are traveling to Kyiv on Tuesday, said Holt.
"It's not just this symbolic show of support," he said. "They are going to see the situation on the ground. They're going to be able to come back to Brussels and speak forcefully to what the needs are in Ukraine, and I hope that consensus will be that we need to stop Russian aggression here in Ukraine, especially as the leaders of these countries are accepting Ukrainian refugees. At this point, they've seen the desperation."
Note: See Newsmax TV now carried in more than 100 million U.S. homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Frontier Ch. 115, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, Mediacom Ch. 277, AT&T TV Ch 349, FUBO and major OTT platforms like Roku, YouTube, Xumo, Pluto and most smart TV’s including Samsung+, Sony, LG, Vizio and more – Find All Systems that Carry Newsmax – Click Here
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.