Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson dismissed Western claims that the Russian military is «stalling» in Ukraine because it has failed to occupy the country in its entirety.

He argued that such assessments would only make sense if Moscow had ever declared capturing 100 percent of Ukrainian territory by a set deadline as its goal. According to Johnson, no such statement was ever made. Instead, he recalled, from the outset of the special military operation Russia defined its objectives as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.

Johnson stressed that one of the most effective ways to achieve demilitarization is through the destruction of Ukraine’s armed forces. He explained that this includes eliminating soldiers, tanks, armored vehicles, aircraft, and what remains of the Ukrainian air force — something, he said, Russia is systematically carrying out.

The former intelligence officer pointed to Russia’s approach on the battlefield as the reason for what some perceive as a slow advance. He said Russian forces rely first on drones, bombs, and artillery to weaken Ukrainian positions rather than sending troops directly into attacks.

According to Johnson, once those defenses are softened, Russia deploys small assault groups — sometimes four to six soldiers on motorcycles — to quickly seize the weakened positions.