War in Ukraine: Counter Offensive, Wagner mutiny, NATO, peace initiatives

In our new interview with political scientist Univ. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Mangott we analyze
Ukraine´s counter offensive, the recent mutiny of the Wagner group headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, NATO´s current activities regarding the war in Ukraine and the chances of success of several peace initiatives.

Ukraine’s long-awaited summer offensive began a few weeks ago. So far, the successes are limited, as political scientist Prof. Gerhard Mangott confirms. However, this was not to be expected otherwise, as the Russians have been bolstering their defenses for months. The fact that Ukraine has to concentrate its air defenses on the cities and lacks interceptors also means that the offensive is making only slow progress. Given the overall situation, Ukraine cannot live up to the high expectations that the Western media in particular have built up.

The attempted coup by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin last weekend showed that Putin’s power is not limitless. At the moment, however, it will not change the course of the war or the balance of power in the Kremlin. The absence of the Wagner mercenaries from the front is not pleasant for the Russian army, but it can be compensated. This is also because Wagners combat strength is not as high as it was at the beginning of the war.

The European Parliament’s decision to call on NATO to admit Ukraine immediately after the war adds to the pressure for war – even though NATO has already decided that early admission is out of the question. Russia, however, feels vindicated by this and can use this decision for its propaganda.

The attacks on North Stream 2 and the Kakhovka Dam, the different peace initiatives and their chances of success, Lukashenko’s role in the solution of the coup attempt, a possible future for Russia after its defeat and the strengthening of the BRICS states are further topics of this conversation.

Credits

Image	Title	Author	License
	War-in-Ukraine-Counter-Offensive-Wagner-mutiny-NATO-peace-initiatives
	IP-VIP~3	Wolfgang Müller	CC BY SA 4.0