MOSCOW. April 9 (Interfax-AVN) - The storm of Baghdad by anti-Iraqi coalition forces will result in many deaths among local residents, Colonel General Yuri Rodionov, deputy chairman of the defense committee in the State Duma lower house of Russian parliament, said on Wednesday.
"In spite of overwhelming superiority in up-to-date hardware, the storm of the city will take a heavy toll on civilians," Rodionov told Interfax-Military News Agency commenting on the first results of combat actions of the coalition's land force in Baghdad.
"Judging from the latest developments, the storm of the city is unavoidable. The coalition's command is unlikely to organize the siege of Baghdad," said Rodionov, who is a former deputy defense minister of Russia.
According to him, "the seizure of Baghdad will mean the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime."
"Nevertheless, it is impossible to rule out the Afghan scenario in Iraq. The Afghan government cannot hold the power without the foreign military contingent at the moment. Moreover, the Karzai government does not control many regions of the country," Rodionov stressed.
He assumes that coalition troops will seize Baghdad and other administrative centers of the country, and Americans will create a controlled administration.
"The resistance of the Iraqi people will continue anyway," Rodionov said.
He was critical about the idea to impose a democratic government on Iraq. "You can seize the country with bayonets, but it is impossible to preserve the power with their help. Sooner or later such a regime will fall," Rodionov noted.
According to him, the only way out is to bring the situation back under the UN control.