For Ukraine to win the war, the US and other allies must help it build a special strategic force of five brigades.. These 40,000 soldiers will be well trained to conduct offensive operations to force Russia to withdraw from Ukrainian territory..

This was stated in an interview with CNN by the former head of the US Special Forces Command in Europe, General Mike Repass.. He is convinced that the international community must greatly increase its support if it wants Ukraine to be able to expel the aggressor from its territory.. The publication recalls that Repass has been cooperating with the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the past 6 years by order of the US government..

In his opinion, the Ukrainian army now does not have enough equipment, firepower and trained soldiers to win the war..

“There will always be more troops in Russia. They won't necessarily be better, but there will be more of them.. As Stalin once said: " Most understand that this will be a battle of attrition.. And at some point, the situation will begin to tilt in favor of Russia if there are no additional Ukrainian forces,” Repass said..

He added that there is an awareness in NATO countries and the international community that something else will have to be done other than providing the Ukrainian army with resources in the current battle.. According to the former American general, now the US and allies must do four things. First, weaken Russia by boosting Ukrainian military capabilities. Second, contain Moscow by building up NATO's defensive capabilities. Thirdly, to degrade the armed forces of the Russian Federation and their capabilities. And fourthly, make sure that Russia is definitely defeated in Ukraine. And this can be done by building strategic and operational reserve forces for Ukraine, capable of conducting offensive operations to push Russian troops out of Ukrainian territory and protect the country's borders..

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“It is necessary that the United States, France, Poland, Great Britain and Germany build on the Ukrainian brigade. These countries have significant military capabilities. They can generate forces by supplying Ukrainian units and training them on their territories.. So there will be five brigades in five operational sectors. It will take 6-8 months to implement such a plan.. These five brigades will have Western weapons and will be able to fight in a Western way.. That is, we are talking about an integrated approach to conducting combat operations in the sky and on the ground using all available means, including NATO-compatible tanks, sky support and air defense, ”explained the former US military.

He admitted that five brigades is not a lot. And in the medium term, these forces can be doubled. At the same time, he is convinced that Ukraine is able to find an additional 40,000 troops to train such strategic units, given the current critical situation..

“Throughout history, when the Western military had to act against an army provided by Russia, it was enough and much smaller numbers of troops to destroy such an army.. For example, during the Gulf War, the United States destroyed almost the entire army of Saddam Hussein in Kuwait.. We know that Western weapons have a qualitative superiority over Russian. Therefore, the balance of power changes dramatically when Western weapons oppose Russian ones,” Repass explained..

Regarding the current situation in Ukraine, he stressed that Kyiv still needs a lot of help.. NATO is moving too slowly at this time. Meanwhile, the United States does not see clearly what happens to weapons when they enter Ukrainian territory.. The situation with military logistics in Ukraine, according to Repass, is personalized, and this is not very professional. Weapons allocation priorities are determined without understanding the rate of use, the needs of future operations, or objective data.. It’s just that the commander of the notional X brigade calls on the phone and says: “I need 27 Javelin missiles.”. So it all comes down to personal connections.. And, according to the ex-US general, logistics during the war should work completely differently. Kyiv needs to better assess the rate of consumption of important resources such as fuel, ammunition, batteries, etc..

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Repass also explained that Russia does not wage war by maneuvers.. This is not her method.. The Russian army uses powerful artillery fire in eastern and southern Ukraine to completely destroy settlements and only then move forward. And she does it methodically. Also, according to Repass, Russia is carrying out mass deportations of civilian Ukrainians so that there are no partisan movements..

According to the ex-US general, the Russian-Ukrainian war will be difficult and painful if it drags on for more than a year. And Repass believes that this conflict will last at least two years.

" If that happens, Putin will be able to declare victory by occupying the Ukrainian territories he has taken control of,” said the former U.S. general..