According to David Petraeus, Vladimir Putin is currently in an “irreversible” situation and the victory of the Ukrainian army can no longer be ruled out.

A red line that must not be crossed. Since launching what Russia still calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons. During a televised speech in September, the Russian leader once again assured that Moscow would use “all weapons” to defend itself.

NATO’s strong response

Asked about these threats American channel ABCDavid Petrus, former director of the CIA between 2011 and 2012 and a retired general, assured that such an attack would mark the end of the conflict and NATO would likely destroy Russian forces on Ukrainian territory.

“To give you an idea, NATO could respond by leading a concerted effort to eliminate all identifiable Russian forces on the battlefield in Ukraine, Crimea and the Black Sea,” he predicted.

There have been several voices in Russia in recent days calling for more radical methods against Ukraine, including Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has called for the use of “low-yield nuclear weapons.”

The Kremlin deemed the call too “emotional” and on Monday evening, Pyotr Tolstoy, the vice-president of the Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament), told BFMTV that his country was “certainly and definitely” not going to use it. Nuclear weapons.”

An irreversible situation for Putin

Beyond the nuclear issue, David Petraeus gave a rather pessimistic overview of the Russian military situation on Ukrainian territory. According to him, Vladimir Putin now faces an “irreversible” situation, which the latest measures, including the partial mobilization of 300,000 men, will not change.

“President Zelensky and Ukraine are better equipped than Russia. Ukraine has recruited, trained, equipped, organized and employed a better army than Russia. […] “Even annexation, nuclear threats and cover-ups cannot get him out of this situation,” the ex-soldier said.

The former CIA chief goes even further, stressing that in his view, Ukraine will completely overthrow Russia. “Putin cannot do much at this point, he will continue to lose on the battlefield,” he insists.

On Earth, this situation is confirmed day by day. Last weekend, Ukrainian forces announced that they had captured the strategic town of Lyman, located in the Russian-annexed Donetsk region. In recent hours, Kyiv has put pressure on Russian troops, who at this point cannot control all the territory they occupy.