The Russian Volunteer Corps chief of staff, Oleksandr Fortuna, believes that Russia is prepared to continue its aggression against Ukraine for at least another decade, as Moscow does not care about the cost of prolonging the war, according to Novyny.LIVE.
The Russian Volunteer Corps is a military-political organization that includes Russian citizens who fight in battles against Russian invaders on Ukraine’s side under the leadership of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.
“I believe that given the current dynamics, they are capable of fighting for years—ten at the very least,” said Oleksandr Fortuna.
To support his argument, he compared the shift in public opinion among ordinary Russians during the two Chechen wars.
“Let’s recall the first Chechen campaign—it was a shock for the Russians. There were soldiers’ mothers’ committees and widespread horror. Society was outraged: Why are we there? What are we doing? Who needs this? Why are young men dying?” Fortuna explained.
He noted that people in Russia took to the streets, appealed to the government, and engaged with civil organizations.
“Just four years later, the second Chechen campaign began, and public sentiment had reversed completely—180 degrees. The narrative became: ‘We will kill them all, destroy everything for our fallen soldiers, no matter the cost,’” he recounted.
According to Fortuna, the same transformation is occurring with the war in Ukraine. Comparing Russian public opinion at the start of the all-out war to the current days, he observed a dramatic shift. Three years ago, many Russians did not understand the purpose of the war; now, the majority supports the aggression, he claimed.
On 10 February, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army reported that Russian occupation forces lost 850,490 troops since 2022. In the past 24 hours alone, Russia lost 1,170 soldiers.
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