British newspaper: President Putin gives signal about city preparing to annex into Russia
(Baonghean.vn) - Sky News (UK) predicts that by 2024 Russia could attack and control Odessa and the entire Black Sea coast of Ukraine.
Western fatigue with the conflict in Ukraine could lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering an attack, Sky News reports.
"Russian President Putin recently called Odessa a 'Russian city'. This could signal long-term plans to control the entire Black Sea coast. This is an important geostrategic area, which both sides have ambitions for. However, in this matter, time seems to be on President Putin's side" - Sky News said.
Drones and electronic warfare systems will continue to play a decisive role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Sky News predicts. Russian industry is ahead of its rivals in this respect, while Ukraine needs a technological breakthrough and continued support from the West, Sky News said.
Based on these premises, Sky News believes that the conflict in Ukraine will not end in 2024.
Sharing this view, former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter said that President Putin did not simply mention that Odessa is a Russian city. The city in question could soon be under Russian control. In this way, Moscow would neutralize the threat in the Black Sea from the UK and the US, which have turned Odessa into a naval springboard for further attacks.
Earlier, at the end of December 2023, in a speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that "Odessa is a Russian city". The Russian leader reiterated that, as a result of the Russo-Turkish war, the entire Black Sea region belonged to Russia, and Ukraine had no relations with these territories, as well as Crimea. President Putin noted that the southeastern region of Ukraine has always been "pro-Russian", because "these are historically Russian territories"./.
