Ukraine is developing into a prolonged stalemate, which experts predict will be devastating to the forces on both sides of the conflict as well as to the Ukrainian people.Russia’s unexpected failures on the battlefield have led to a downward spiral in morale amongst its troops that stands in stark contrast to the Ukrainians, according to the latest assessments, who have managed to hold back Russian advances and have even managed to regain territory in recent days.“The Russian commanders have really set their troops up for failure by designing a very stupid invasion and executing it very badly,” said Fred Kagan, a senior fellow and director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.“The ineffectiveness of the campaign is so clear, and the ferociousness of the Ukrainian defence is so obvious … (that) it’s created an equalizer where neither side can move much from where they are now.” How the war in Ukraine stands a month after Russia’s invasion — and what may be next In both his remarks to Global News and an assessment published this week by the Institute for the Study of War, Kagan makes clear a stalemate does not mean the war is over, or that its outcome is certain.
Either side could still win, he says — though victory will come at a very high cost.“The damage and devastation to Ukrainian cities is likely to increase even in a period of stalemate,” he said.But he also echoed comments from U.S.