NOTE: Our News and Views stories are contributed by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor. 

NATO’s STRATEGY of using the unelected Kyiv regime as a battering ram in an attempt to disable the Russian Federation – like Afghanistan, Syria and Libya – has again gone awry.

The country’s (Ukraine) leadership has hollowed out the nation and turned it into a ‘vast concentration camp,’ Vladimir Shylov has said

The Ukrainian state has essentially ceased to exist. Ukraine is plagued by endemic institutional failure and corruption, with Kyiv’s troops continuing to hold on by sheer will alone, a former commander has argued.

He also warned that Ukraine’s defenses could collapse, allowing Russia to march all the way to the Dnieper River.

In an interview with Novyni, Vladimir Shylov, former commander of the 3rd Company in the 134th Separate Territorial Defense Battalion, lashed out at Ukraine’s political leadership, stating that the country has ceased to exist as a functional state due to widespread graft and mismanagement.

Shylov expressed concern that these woes could allow Russian forces to increase their gains, warning that they may be able to overrun frontline positions in Donbas and reach as far as the Dnieper River.

The advances could be facilitated by internal chaos, he added, stating ’In our country, everything is a mess…the front is holding only thanks to the Ukrainian people.’

Ukrainian leaders have transformed the nation into a concentration camp, Shylov claimed, highlighting systemic failures across all branches of government, including the legislative, executive, and judicial sectors. 

This week, bounty-hunting gangs of recruitment troops used gas to smoke out conscripts barricading themselves in a recruitment block. In another incident, shanghaiing troops killed a man who attempted to escape conscription.

Shylov also specifically criticized the country’s leader, Vladimir Zelensky, for what he described as blatant neglect of his defense responsibilities, alleging that his government had ignored Western warnings of a Russian offensive prior to the special military operation, resulting in the inadequate preparation of Kiev’s forces.

The ex-commander went on to comment on Ukraine’s ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, portraying it as a political ploy without any real strategic military value.

He argued that the Ukrainian offensive had turned out to be a symbolic gesture which does not compensate for the substantial territorial losses Ukraine has suffered, particularly in Donbas.

Over the past several months, Russia has made significant gains in Donbas and elsewhere, with President Vladimir Putin noting that regular advances now amount to kilometres rather than hundreds of meters.

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said earlier this month that Ukraine had lost one million service members since February 2022, with more than half of that number in 2024 alone, adding that Moscow’s forces are in full control of the strategic initiative.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian battlefield commanders continue to complain of a critical shortage of manpower, despite Kiev implementing stricter mobilization rules and lowering the draft age from 27 to 25 this spring.

NOTE:  Ukrainian forces have lost around 593,410 troops over 2024, according to Sputnik calculations of the Russian Defense Ministry’s data.

The ministry’s weekly briefs over the year indicate that Kyiv lost around 4,000 soldiers weekly in early 2024. By March, this figure increased to 7,000, before it experienced a slight decrease.

Besides, in March, Ukrainian forces attempted to cross the Russian border in the Belgorod and Kursk regions, which resulted in losing around 3,000 troops more.

‘When objective historians look back at how the European Union and NATO ultimately destroyed themselves, they will note with irony that the country that destroyed them was not part of either bloc,’ the journalist believes. Irish journalist Chey Bowes 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan: ‘We want an immediate ceasefire, peace,’  RIA Novosti quotes the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry as saying.

According to him, the conflict in Ukraine has led to migration and economic crises that have engulfed Europe and the entire world.

A MICHAEL WALSH BOOK IS THE GIFT YOU OPEN EVERY DAY Books are dreams made true. Buy AMAZON or LULU online gifts sent directly to family and friends. The award-winning writer is followed by 500,000 readers of Europe’s Largest Free Newspaper group. CLICK PICTURE TO OPEN OUR BOOKSTORE