José Milhazes and Nuno Rogueiro reviewed Tuesday an interview with Mikhail Khodaryonok, “the most respected colonel,” a Russian military analyst and anti-aircraft missile specialist. According to SIC observers, the colonel warned Russia and said that Ukraine was capable of arming one million people.
“He said: “We, Russia, are not in a position to resist or win over a million well-armed people. (…) They are more motivated than ever, well prepared and trained,” Nuno Rogueiro translated.
Mikhail Khodarenok also stated on a Russian state television program that Russia could lose the war and that the world is against the Putin regime.
However, Jose Milhazes believes that the statements of the famous Russian colonel “will not change the mentality of Russians if coffins do not start appearing in Russia en masse.”
As for the fate of the Azovstal soldiers evacuated on Monday from a compound in Mariupol and taken to Russian-controlled areas, Milkhazes said that Russia would try to “roll back the process” and “detain the Ukrainian military.” The SIC commentator echoed the Kremlin spokesman’s claim that international laws would be respected and warned: “There is a law in Russia that states that domestic laws take precedence over international ones.”
In turn, Nuno Rogueiro does not believe that Russia can lightly decide to violate the agreement. “Russia will not have much interest in assuaging a grudge and losing something that it can still gain in the process.” He added that, according to his own information, Russia “was solemnly warned” by the United States that it would “suffer hitherto unimaginable consequences” if it attacked soldiers at Azovstal.
