The former commander of US forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, says that the latest decisions of Russian President Vladimir Putin are reminiscent of the behavior of Adolf Hitler in the last days of the Third Reich, when he tried to attract more soldiers to the Wehrmacht, Ukrainian Pravda reports.

“Putin’s current behavior reminds me of Hitler, who in the last days of the Third Reich forced young and old to join the Wehrmacht. The irony of fate: Putin is doing what the Nazis did,” said Hodges in an interview with Bild.

Asked if the mobilization could help turn the tide of the war in Ukraine, the general said that “without heavy artillery support, these troops will be nothing more than cannon fodder sitting in wet, cold trenches this winter while Ukrainian troops advance.”

As for nuclear weapons, General Hodges does not rule out their use.

“But nuclear weapons are most effective when they are not used. Given their deterrent potential,” he said.

“Yes, Putin is cold as ice, but not crazy: he knows very well that then the United States will have to be fully involved in this war. The Pentagon has already given President Joe Biden a list of options for such a case,” Hodges said, noting that there are several Russian generals who would like to have a post-Putin future.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, after announcing partial mobilization in the Russian Federation, once again threatened Western countries with the use of nuclear weapons.

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