Ex-officer: Putin risks an Afghan-style collapse — a new mobilisation would seal his fate

A former military officer argues that the Russian army is not marching towards victory but is consuming young men at an industrial rate. To replenish losses, Putin may be forced to order a new mobilisation — which the author describes as a "real threat" to his rule and a political death knell for the Kremlin. The piece draws a parallel with the Soviet Union's disastrous Afghan campaign.