Estonian Defense Minister Hano Pivor said during a visit to Washington on Tuesday that Russia would likely need at least two years to return its army to the level it was before its conquest of Ukraine, calling for continuing to pressure Moscow.
The West pleaded with people to stand with the Ukrainians until they accomplish the victory of the “free world” since the Estonian minister anticipated that the battle in Ukraine would go much longer.
Pivkor said that its information indicates that the Russian military arsenal has shrunk to the extent that the Russian forces have been using S-300 anti-aircraft missiles as an alternative to regular missiles at a time when Russia has resorted to attacking Ukraine with car bombs, the West believes that it purchased them from Iran.
He added that his information also indicates that some Russian missiles exploded before reaching their goal because of their limitations.
“There is a consensus on viewpoints, in one way or another, that the situation will require between two and four years between Russia to restore some capabilities or even similar capabilities that they had,” the Estonian minister stated during a roundtable with media.
The minister pointed out that the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia after its conquest of Ukraine affected a particularly negatively on its ability to produce and maintain aircraft because these sanctions deprived Moscow of major components that are included in the manufacture of these aircraft.
“Of course we must find new ways to use sanctions to exert pressure on Russia.
“The Estonian minister met with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin in Washington, and Austin thanked Estonia for “its support of Ukraine to see the future” in a statement following the meeting.
Additionally, the American minister disclosed that he “Minister Bifkour and I both agreed that continuing strong support was necessary.
Bifkour cautioned that Russia is still capable of launching attacks, especially against NATO members like his own country Estonia, during his conversation session with journalists.
The Estonian minister, on the other hand, lessened the likelihood that Russia would deploy nuclear weapons against Ukraine, a prospect that Russian President Vladimir Putin waved when he announced the addition of four Ukrainian regions to his nation.
According to Pivkor, Russia “sparked panic in Ukraine” with the attacks it carried out with conventional weapons, thus using nuclear weapons would not be “additional value, positive for Russia.”
The Russian army is disintegrating, and Russia has stated that it will take at least two years to reconstruct.
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