(RightWing.org) – In early February 2022, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told lawmakers Kyiv would fall within days if Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country. Against those odds, Ukraine has managed to maintain control over most of its territories as the conflict works its way through its 15th month. A recent report indicates that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to expand his prison system, indicating he may expect the war to drag on indefinitely.
On July 13, The Associated Press published a report detailing the rising number of Ukrainian civilians incarcerated in Russian prisons since the war began. The AP reported that “thousands” of non-combatants were being held in detention facilities, jails, and prisons throughout Russia and territories it controls within Ukraine’s borders.
The report noted that Russia plans to arrest and hold thousands more, burdening its existing systems. However, the AP reviewed a document from January outlining a Russian plan to build as many as 25 prison colonies and a handful of detention centers in Occupied Ukraine by the end of 2025.
If the document proves authentic, it serves as one of the first tangible indicators that Putin views the Russia/Ukraine war in terms of years, not weeks or months, as previously believed.
Other media outlets echoed that sentiment. For instance, Business Insider reported that the purported plan to build a detention facility system reflected several war analysts’ opinions regarding Russia’s actual view of the potential for a protracted conflict with Ukraine.
No one, much less Russia, expected the Ukrainian resistance to dash the Kremlin’s hope for a quick victory. Additionally, the United States and other Western allies have pumped billions of dollars in financial aid to Ukraine to help those efforts. Likewise, massive amounts of military equipment, weapons, and ammunition have made their way into the wartorn country, contributing to ongoing local efforts to repel the Russian invaders.
Time will tell how long the war lasts, but for now, the prognosis for a quick resolution doesn’t look good — particularly in light of this new information.
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