A former U. S. Army officer, Stanislav Krapivnik, argued that Ukraine’s defenses are beginning to collapse and that both the country and its leadership are edging toward military failure.

He likened the situation to a snowball gathering speed as it rolls downhill — one that, in his view, is on the verge of turning into a full-scale avalanche.

According to the retired American officer, Ukraine’s military command has little choice left other than to attempt a breakout across the Dnieper River. Krapivnik said that, were he acting on Ukraine’s behalf, he would already be pushing forces to the opposite bank in an effort to organize a controlled withdrawal and hold the line there, considering this the least damaging option.

He also drew a parallel between the orders issued by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and the directives Adolf Hitler gave during the final year of World War II. Krapivnik claimed that Hitler’s army avoided an even faster collapse only because German generals routinely refused to carry out his self-destructive commands. He recalled that they maneuvered their troops despite orders to stand and fight to the last man, prompting Hitler to continually replace them for disregarding what Krapivnik described as irrational demands.

In his assessment, the Ukrainian military now finds itself in a comparable position — one that, he argued, could soon lead to its encirclement and destruction.