Vladimir Putin won't live long enough to see the end of the Ukraine war, a Russian state TV pundit has claimed.
Vladimir Putin may not live to see the end of the Ukraine war
Sergei Mikheyev, the former director of the Russian research company Centre for Current Policy Analysis, warned that neither Putin nor his Kremlin allies will survive if the conflict in Ukraine continues at the current pace.
He said on state television: "If we keep proceeding in this manner and at this speed, you and I won't live long enough to see any successes.
"And let's be honest with ourselves - our leadership won't live long enough for that either."
Mikheyev added: "Our position has severely worsened... We either move forward and stop imitating sovereignty and truly achieve success, or we retreat with a massive failure."
His comments came after a four-minute tirade where he hit out at Russian military commanders and the Kremlin for their "silence" in response to failures on the battlefield.
He also warned that Russia cannot afford to retreat as the nation would be considered weak.
Mikheyev has taken a hardline stance on Russia's war in Ukraine and has openly called for Moscow to take as much territory as possible.
He also declared that Russia's plans could be altered to align with what the nation's troops can achieve in Ukraine.
Speaking last year, Mikheyev said: "Let's conquer whatever we can, then declare it a goal of the operation.
"Let us mention what our goals are. Unfortunately, the war will determine our goals based on what is achievable. That which we manage to secure will be later defined as our goals."