Russia will lose ‘bloody, grimy’ war with Ukraine, says ex-NATO chief

Russia would face an almost certain defeat in a “bloody” war with Ukraine, a former NATO chief warned, amid reports Putin is ready to invade.

Russia would face an almost certain defeat in a “bloody” and “grimy” war with Ukraine, a former NATO chief warned.

Captain Gary Tabach, who was chief of staff at NATO’s mission in Moscow between 2008 and 2011, said Vladimir Putin faces a “mess” if he invades Ukraine.

The US Navy veteran, who was the first Soviet Union-born officer in the service, said Ukrainians were ready to fight tooth and nail to repel any Russian incursion.

“I think it would be a bloody mess,” he told The Sun.

“It would be grime because Ukrainians are dug in and they’re equipped with stingers, they are equipped with armour and sniper equipment.

“They’re doing well and they know they have support of the West.”

And he added that a free Ukraine keeps Putin up at night as the country — which is increasingly close to the West — was a “haemorrhoid” for Russia as it won’t bow down to Moscow.

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Zinoviy Tuzhansky, a soldier of the Ukrainian army, holds an anti-tank missile system. Picture: Gaelle Girbes/Getty Images

Captain Tabach said Ukrainians were signing up in their thousands to a local armed legion known as the Territorial Defence.

He said Ukrainian villagers in the country’s east are armed to the teeth and have been trained to defend themselves.

“The Russian troops would not get too far in,” he told The Sun Online.

“All the Russians want is internal unrest but Ukrainians are known to go partisan, and start fighting guerrilla war.

“That’s what they’ve been doing for centuries. And it will be bloody.”

He claims Putin is trying to “unite the Russian speaking world” under one banner and would push on into the Baltic states and central Asia to create a new “Soviet Union” if he’s not stopped.

“The only resistance is Ukraine — and that’s what I call a pulsating, bleeding, itching haemorrhoid that we resist his ‘brotherly hugs’ and that’s what doesn’t let him sleep at night.”

Though a massive frontal attack by Russian forces may be off the cards for now, Mr Tabach said, it doesn’t mean Putin was ditching his plans to capture the Eastern European nation.

Russian soldiers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall in Moscow, on February 15, 2022. Picture: Maxim Shemetov/AFP

A man walks past part of a large street mural on February 15, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Picture: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Mr Tabach said the Kremlin strongman would try to force the Ukrainians to execute the Minsk Protocol — a peace agreement struck up by Moscow and Kyiv with the help of the West in 2014 that sees the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk given some political autonomy.

“There is a war that’s going on, it’s just a hybrid war going on,” he explained.

“I think the plan was to force Ukrainians to execute the Minsk Agreement, to cause chaos in Ukraine and to cause us war in Ukraine, to cause us a split in society because, you know, that’s Putin’s style.

“That’s what Putin wants. He doesn’t want a frontal attack. It’s not his style — he’s a KGB thug.”

He warned Ukrainians should be prepared for Russian “military provocations and terror acts” on their soil in the coming weeks.

The provocations could take the form of “blowing something up, or firing on something to make it look like Ukrainians did it”.

He warned of “terror acts” and campaigns of “subversion” consisting of disinformation wars, interrupting Ukraine’s economic supply lines, hacking and “ bombarding the whole world with what’s wrong with Ukraine and how bad they’re doing”.

The warning comes as Russia promised to withdraw some of its troops from the Ukraine border — despite artillery and tanks appearing to remain poised in “attack positions”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly downplayed fears that Russia is set to invade Ukraine. Picture: Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik / AFP

Russia’s defence ministry said some troops in its military districts near Ukraine are returning to their bases on Tuesday after completing drills.

Military spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said: “Units of the Southern and Western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and today they will begin moving to their military garrisons.”

Footage released showed tanks and other armoured vehicles being loaded onto railway flatcars.

The defence ministry said it would use trucks to move some of the military equipment while some troops would march to the barracks on their own.

The apparent movements run counter to urgent warnings from the US and the UK that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time.

Highly-placed intelligence source claimed Russian crack-troops were set invade Ukraine at 1am Wednesday morning.

They said preparations to defend the besieged nation would continue — despite reports Putin was withdrawing some troops from the border.

US intelligence said the most likely time for Putin’s order was 3am (1am UK time).

American spooks believe Kyiv’s military and government command and control centres still have a barrage of air strikes before tanks roll over the border.

Russian claimed today to be pulling back around 10,000 troops from its Western and Southern to barracks after military drills.

A Ukrainian servicemen stands in a trench at his Unit's position at the contact line near the village of Svitlodarsk, in Donestsk region on February 13, 2022. Picture: Manu Brabo/Getty Images

But around 130,000 remain on Ukraine’s eastern and southern borders with around 40,000 pro-Putin forces in Belarus to the north.

But for Mr Tabach, the Russia’s pull-out is nothing short of an elaborate ruse.

Slamming the West’s hyped response to the build-up of Russian troops at Ukraine’s border, he said: “I think Putin is sitting there and laughing his ass off saying: ‘I didn’t even have to do anything. I didn’t even have to say boom!’ as NATO and all the allies got scared and ran away from Kyiv with their tails between their legs.

“It’s like Hitler, you give him a finger, he’ll take a hand … If you give him something, he’ll take it and he’ll want more.

“These maniacs like Stalin, Hitler, Putin, Pol Pot, they’ll take everything. They want to create their own world.”

This article was originally published by The Sun and has been reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Russia will lose ‘bloody, grimy’ war with Ukraine, says ex-NATO chief