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Military operation in Ukraine

Liberation of Krynki to seriously affect morale of Ukrainian troops — expert

Colonel Vitaly Kiselev additionally thinks that this will also become a "major drawback" for the Western countries financing Ukraine

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. The liberation of the village of Krynki on the left bank of the Dnieper River by Russian forces will have a serious impact on the already sagging morale of Ukrainian soldiers, Colonel Vitaly Kiselev, a military expert from the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), said.

"There is very serious fatigue in terms of mobilization and personnel training, and a lot of people are refusing [to fight]; there are a great number of deserters from the Ukrainian army, and [Russian forces] gaining a foothold in Krynki will undoubtedly affect the moral and psychological state [of the adversary]," he told the Soloviev Live TV channel.

The expert additionally thinks that this will also become a "major drawback" for the Western countries financing Ukraine. "They will think hard now as to whether continuing financing is worth it, whether it is worth it to continue to provide [funds]," Kiselev added.

Alexander Malkevich, co-chairman of the Coordination Council for the Integration of the New Regions under the Russian Civic Chamber, also pointed to problems with morale.

"We see that the Ukrainian army is having problems with morale. This is compounded by the [Ukraine] fatigue of Western countries; they are no long rushing to send arms to Kiev. [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky will insist that the money will be forthcoming any minute now; he will attempt to resolve this somehow. This is why after the liberation of Avdeyevka and Krynki, the Ukrainian armed forces will crumble, given the prevailing attitude within society and military circles. If before the presidential election in Ukraine, the Russian army scores several more military victories, one can say that even the most hardcore cheerleaders will stop believing in the Ukrainian army," he told a TASS correspondent.

On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the liberation of Krynki, which the Ukrainian army had turned into its bridgehead. According to Shoigu, Ukrainian losses near Krynki amounted to 3,400 troops.

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Military operation in Ukraine

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