BERLIN, May 31. /TASS/. Germany’s general Roland Kater, retired, believes that Ukraine will lose control of the whole of Donbass "within days or weeks."
"I have an impression that Russia has changed its strategy over the past few days and weeks. It has formed a clear center of attraction in Donbass and massed its forces there," Kater told Die Welt. He stressed that the Russian armed forces were currently significantly superior to Ukraine’s army, which left Kiev with virtually no chance of success. According to General Kater’s estimates, establishing control of Donbass is "a matter of days, at best weeks."
Kater speculated that after that the goal of the Russian military would be to strengthen the overland corridor with the Crimea.
"I think that here we are witnesses to a very clear tactic: first take Donbass under control, and then get ready for further operations. I presume that everything will be done to firmly establish overland links with Crimea, with Mariupol and other port cities," General Kater said.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow's plans do not include occupation of Ukrainian territories. After that, the United States, the EU, Britain, and a number of other countries imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and legal entities.