Vladimir Putin can't win the Ukraine war without China's help, says former Russian military commander

A former Russian military commander turned blogger stated that Russian military needs a "lend-lease" agreement with China if they want any chance of winning the war in Ukraine.

Igor Girkin, a former Russian intelligence officer who played a key role in the country's 2014 annexation of Crimea, took to social media this week to express his views on Russia's current military status and power. He stated that China "is the only country that could give us a lend-lease to continue this war with any level of success."

This comes after he had trashed Vladimir Putin's national address about the Kremlin's war with Ukraine on Tuesday for blatantly ignoring Moscow's "defeats" in the invasion. He referred to Russia's military attempts as a "strategic failure" in every way.

Girkin, an outspoken critic of the Russian president, further added that Russia is"catastrophically lacking" in "ammunition, shells and artillery propellants." He further explained that without any help from China, they will not unable to continue the fight for as long as they intend to and instead will simply find themselves "naked and barefoot in every sense against the enemy as early as the middle or end of this year."

Girkin's remarks come when Antony Blinken, United States' Secretary of State, said that China is considering sending lethal support to Russia and that America has evidence of that. The State Department said this action will have "consequences" if implemented.

"The [People's Republic of China] understands what's at risk were it to proceed with providing material support to Russia's war against Ukraine," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said. "We've been clear we will not hesitate to target Chinese companies or individuals that violate our sanctions, and we're monitoring very vigilantly for potential violations."

The German newspaper Der Spiegel reported this week that Russia is in discussion with China to purchase 100 combat drones. Additionally, Wang Yi, a Chinese senior diplomat visited Moscow this week to meet with Putin and other senior Russian officials. They had an in-depth conversation about views on the Ukraine issue during the meeting.

According to Fox News, Rebekah Koffler, a former intelligence officer stated on Thursday that China's decision-making process is "entirely rational" as helping Russia's military keeps the U.S. busy in Ukraine as they focus on Europe while China tries to gain control of Taiwan.

"The biggest challenge for the United States would be to have to be engaged in two wars simultaneously, albeit by proxy – one with Russia, on behalf of Ukraine, and the other with China, on behalf of Taiwan," said Koffler.

Friday marked the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine which has been dragged into its second year with no end in sight. The conflict lasted much longer than most experts had anticipated.

The war has claimed the lives of over 100,000 Russian soldiers, 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers, and 7,000 civilians.