Putin risks losing naval bases in three regions at once, says US Army Europe Commander Hertling
The events in the Middle East and Africa have shown that the Russian army is weakened by a number of challenges on several continents at once, which especially threaten its naval resources. The United States and its allies should use this to put pressure on the Russian dictator.
According to Censor.NET with reference to Voice of America, this was stated by the commander of the US Army in Europe, Mark Hertling, on CNN.
The military officer noted that one of the main threats to Russian leader Vladimir Putin today is the threat of losing naval bases in Syria and Tunisia due to the events in Aleppo and the potential overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Gertling also reminded that the dictator has partially lost his influence in the Black Sea. In addition, Russian naval resources in the Baltic States, in Kaliningrad, are also under threat.
"Putin is really backed into a corner. All of these bases are critical in these regions, and the increased rebel activity in northern Syria has increased his concerns," Gertling said.
He added that the Russians are facing some threats on several fronts and a decrease in assistance from their allies.
"They have problems themselves, so we can see that no matter how calm Putin is and how his spokesman looks, they have no reason to feel good about what is happening," Gertling emphasized.
As a reminder, the personnel of the Russian military contingent in Syria is in a depressed state due to the success of the opposition forces - the capture of Aleppo, fighting in the Hama area and the advance to Homs.
