Russian Pundit Fears Shameful End to Ukraine War

(MOSCOW) – A Russian military correspondent has expressed concern that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine could end in “great shame,” criticising the Kremlin’s failure to target what he called the “source of evil” beyond Ukraine’s borders.

During a programme on Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio, host Ivan Pankin and military correspondent Dmitry Steshin discussed the effectiveness of Russian air defence systems against Ukrainian drone attacks.

Mr Steshin dismissed the strengthening of air defences as inadequate, using a crude analogy to suggest they offered only superficial protection. He argued that Russia could spend a long time attempting to counter drones with anti aircraft systems but that the real problems lay beyond Ukraine.

Mr Steshin noted that Russian media frequently boasted about fighting dozens of Nato countries but questioned why those nations had not paid a price for their support of Ukraine. He described Ukraine as an “avatar” for the West, which he claimed was using Kyiv’s forces to fight a proxy war. He asked why Russia was not eliminating the “source of evil” rather than merely engaging with its “tentacles.”

The correspondent contrasted Russia’s approach unfavourably with that of Iran, which he said had successfully used the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure point against the West. He argued that Russia possessed a similar strategic asset in the form of Kaliningrad, the exclave on the Baltic Sea. Mr Steshin asserted that Kaliningrad was originally designated to block access to the Baltic Sea if necessary, a move he said would create a “beautiful situation” and strike at the heart of Europe.

However, Mr Steshin expressed doubt that Russian leadership would deploy this option. He described the Kaliningrad card as a “joker” stuck under the table with chewing gum, suggesting it could be pulled out at the right moment but that neither he nor his audience had the authority to make that decision. He warned that the “joker” might never be played and that the conflict could end in a “very shameful” manner for Russia.