(Republicaninformer.com)- 2023 may mark the end of Russian President Vladimir Putin as the “special military operation” that was supposed to last a few weeks turned into nearly a yearlong battle, according to a report from the defense and national security website 19FortyFive. Russia is now reportedly losing territories that it had initially gained at the start of the war.
There are decisions Putin needs to make in the new year as the country faces an ammunition shortage and Western sanctions have crippled its ability to produce advanced weapons and tanks.
After the likely withdrawal of troops from the city of Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast, without making some major changes, 2023 could see Russia continuing to retreat. If the situation in Ukraine continues to get worse for Russia, there are a few ways that the rest of the war could play out.
One scenario is that the Putin regime collapses. Russia expert Olga Lautman from the Center for European Policy suggested that this possibility is not so far-fetched. If it isn’t the war that will take Putin out, it might be his deteriorating health.
“Rumors about Putin’s health are being put out by security services,” she said, adding that these updates have been put out since 2008, which are probably laying the grounds for his removal.
If the regime collapses, however, that might not signify the end of the war, according to 19FortyFive.
The second scenario is that Ukraine and Russia might enter into peace talks. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that they expect peace talks to take place within the coming months with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the mediator. Moscow officials have denied this, however. As long as Ukraine refuses to cede territory, it is unlikely any negotiation will result.
In a third scenario, Russia wins the war, but this may only be likely if the West stops sending weapons and billions of dollars to Ukraine.
