Shyt might end tomorrow
Exclusive: US expects Kyiv's fall in
days, Ukraine source warns of encirclement
Exclusive: US Expects Kyiv to Fall in Days as Ukraine Source Warns of Encirclement
Three U.S. officials have told
Newsweek they expect Ukraine's capital Kyiv to fall to incoming Russian forces within days, and the country's resistance to be effectively neutralized soon thereafter.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Moscow's focus, as revealed in Russian President
Vladimir Putin's references to a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" the neighboring country, would be to encircle Ukrainian forces and force them to surrender or be destroyed. They expect Kyiv to be taken within 96 hours, and then the leadership of Ukraine to follow in about a week's time.
And Russia's thunderous attacks on Ukrainian government and military institutions, paired with reports of ground personnel seeking to take strategic points including the Chernobyl nuclear facility, appeared to only be the initial phase of what may be a more comprehensive ground campaign.
One former senior U.S. intelligence officer with extensive experience dealing with Russia expressed a similar sentiment.
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"After the air and artillery end and the ground war really starts, I think Kyiv falls in just a few days," the former senior U.S. intelligence officer told
Newsweek on the condition of anonymity as well.
"The military may last slightly longer," the former intelligence officer added, "but this isn't going to last long."
Afterward, the senior U.S. intelligence officer said the next stages may be determined by U.S. President
Joe Biden's capability and willingness to risk further provoking Moscow by supporting partisan efforts on behalf of a potential Ukrainian resistance.
"Then it either becomes a robust insurgency or it doesn't, depending largely on Biden," the former senior U.S. intelligence officer said.