Ukraine is humiliating Russian President Vladimir Putin at the worst possible moment, writes The Telegraph.
The New Year brings far more hope to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky than to Putin.
Kursk could be the beginning of the end for Putin in 2025, as it was for Hitler in 1943. Putin was humiliated in Syria and humiliated in Moscow with the assassination of a key general outside his home. And the Ukrainian army is advancing on the Kursk region, which Russia has never been able to retake.
In desperation, Putin is sending one of his most trusted generals to the region in an attempt to salvage the situation. Russia appears to have plenty of generals but not the military hardware to thwart this latest Ukrainian advance.
This gives Kiev great hope. Putin is going into survival mode after the events in Syria, the elimination of his right-hand man, General Igor Kirillov, and Ukraine’s decision to close the last route that allows Russia to sell gas to Europe through its territory.
Putin knows the fate of failed Russian dictators. Zelensky could still be in power when Putin retires to a villa in North Korea or is sent to hard labor in the Urals. Russian history does not paint a rosy picture of failed dictators. It is important that the West and European NATO countries keep up the pressure, writes British Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon in his article. He points out that Putin was exposed to the world as a terrible military commander with the war in Ukraine.