Putin Can't Change Course of War Anytime Soon: Retired U.S. General

Russia's reportedly fast-tracked timeline for sending newly-mobilized soldiers to the front lines of the Ukraine war will not be long enough to change the course of the war, according to a retired U.S. general.

In a Twitter thread on Wednesday, Mark Hertling referenced what he said were claims on Russian state television that it will take two months for recently-mobilized Russians to reach the Ukraine frontlines.

"Great. But will they be able to do anything? No friggin' way," Hertling tweeted in reference to the conscripts.

Hertling noted that while Russia may be able to provide basic training to its drafted soldiers in that time frame, this is not true for other key skills, such as combined arms warfare and teaching generals, colonels and sergeants the "tenets of leadership."

He added that two months would also not be sufficient time for Russia to counter any distrust soldiers have in the government, make up for the loss of what Ukraine estimates to be more than 60,000 Russian soldiers and issue enough uniforms, food, ammunition and other supplies.

"You can't change culture in 2 months. Doing that takes years, even decades," Hertling concluded. "Putin will keep losing."

After facing some high-profile setbacks due to Ukrainian counteroffensives, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization last month that he said would call up to 300,000 reservists and those who have served in the Armed Forces with "certain military specialties and relevant experience."

While Putin framed the draft as a measure necessary "to protect the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Russia," there have already been indications that the mobilization is not going smoothly.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in an assessment in late September that there were already "serious and systemic problems" that could lead to Russia failing to even produce "low quality" fighters.

The U.K.'s Defense Ministry also said in an intelligence update late last month that drafted Russians were likely being sent to the front lines with "minimal relevant preparation," and that many of the mobilized soldiers have not had military experience for "some years."

Still, Russian state television hosts and guests seem to be anticipating the arrival of those soldiers to offset Russia's woes in Ukraine. In a clip translated and shared on Twitter by Julia Davis on Tuesday, a war correspondent interviewed on Russian state TV predicted that it would be about two months until Russia could make conduct a "large-scale offensive."

"We're waiting for the reinforcements, they are coming," the correspondent said. "They are already being prepared. If we throw those people into combat right now...what would happen to them? We have to be compassionate towards our soldier and get him prepared at the highest level, so he could be confident on the battlefield."

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.