Former NATO Commander Wesley Clark said he believes Russia is pursuing regime change in Ukraine.
The retired general said Russia is assaulting Ukraine to overwhelm it, similar to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, so it can create an opening in Kyiv to take out the leadership.
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“It really complicates the command-and-control issues for the Ukrainian staff. You get good information, you get bad information. You don’t know what’s happening, and it’s overwhelming when that information goes dark,” he told CNN on Thursday. “I think the main objective is Kyiv. I think what they want to do is what we call in the military a coup de main. That is to say, go right into Kyiv, change the leadership, put a Russian stooge in charge, and then tell the Ukrainians ‘stop fighting.'”
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine are coming from many directions, including from Russian soil, Belarus, and Crimea. Clark noted Russia has been trying to take over airports near Kyiv to help it bring additional forces near the capital. There has also been Russian armor movement from the north of Kyiv that could be used to encircle the city in order to penetrate it, according to Clark. He said this is similar to the strategy the United States took with Baghdad.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has hit major cities and airports across the country, with shelling in more than a dozen cities and towns, including outside the capital, Kyiv. https://t.co/b0Pmm02CDA pic.twitter.com/WXqBBbsDvo
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 24, 2022
“Their intent would be to encircle Kyiv, penetrate it, sack it like we did with Baghdad in 2003, and get regime change. It’s the quickest solution to them,” he said.
Although Russia has overwhelming manpower and military capabilities, Ukraine has been able to inflict significant losses on the Russians, Clark said. He said that the Ukrainians need additional ammunition to continue their resistance.
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In response to Russia’s invasion Wednesday night, Ukraine enacted martial law. The country banned all men ages 18 to 60 from leaving the country. The invasion has triggered worldwide protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin, including inside Russia. Western nations have begun enacting economic sanctions against Russia.
In his televised address announcing a “special military operation,” Putin said the new military attack was aimed at the “demilitarization and de-Nazification” of Ukraine, not its occupation.
