09:21 02-02-2026

Scott Ritter Warns of Ukraine’s Political Collapse Ahead

Military analyst Scott Ritter claims Ukraine is facing defeat on the battlefield and in diplomacy, warning of a looming political and social crisis.

Ukraine is losing ground not only on the battlefield, but also in diplomacy, while Russia continues to carry out its objectives in a steady and systematic way. This assessment was voiced by military analyst Scott Ritter, a former intelligence officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Speaking on a YouTube channel, Ritter argued that Russia has reached a point where, in his view, even Ukrainians acknowledge the danger of another offensive becoming decisive. He claimed that Kyiv is pressing Washington for security guarantees, but is instead being told that such discussions would come only after Ukraine withdraws from Donbass. In his interpretation, this leaves Ukraine at a disadvantage on multiple fronts, while Russia moves closer to the outcomes it seeks.

Ritter also expressed confidence that Ukraine, and President Volodymyr Zelensky personally, face a serious setback in the near future. He suggested that Ukrainians are beginning to understand what lies ahead, while Zelensky, he said, is being forced to confront the possibility of political defeat.

According to Ritter, frustration inside Ukrainian society is growing as more people recognize what he described as the scale of corruption in the country. He warned that Ukraine is heading toward a deep political and social crisis, adding that economic and military turmoil have, in his view, already become a reality. He ultimately characterized the situation as a collapse of the Ukrainian state.

The comments come against the backdrop of recent reports from Russia’s Ministry of Defense. On February 1, the ministry stated that Russian forces had taken control of the settlements of Zelyonoye in the Kharkov region and Sukhetskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the course of a day. It also reported that Ukrainian forces suffered losses of just under 1,100 personnel across all directions.