Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine, according to US intelligence.
It warns that even victory in the east of the country, where fierce fighting continues as Russia tries to take territory, would not necessarily end the conflict. Moscow has refocussed its troops on capturing the Donbas region after Ukraine resisted attempts to take its capital Kyiv, but despite this, US intelligence says that its forces remain in a stalemate.
Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, told a US Senate committee hearing yesterday that the Russian president was still intending "to achieve goals beyond the Donbas" but that he "faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia's current conventional military capabilities". She added that Putin was "probably" counting on US and EU support for Ukraine to weaken as inflation, food shortages and energy prices got worse, reports the BBC.
However, the Russian president could turn to "more drastic means" as the war continues - although Moscow would only use nuclear weapons if Mr Putin perceives an "existential threat" to Russia. Defence Intelligence Agency Director Scott Berrier told the hearing that the Russians and the Ukrainians were "at a bit of a stalemate".
In the latest fighting, Ukraine claims to have recaptured four settlements in the north-eastern Kharkiv region. Cherkasy Tyshky, Ruski Tyshky, Rubizhne and Bayrak were all snatched back from Russia, Ukraine's arms forces said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian successes were gradually pushing Russian forces out of Kharkiv, which has been bombarded since the war began. But he said Ukrainians "should not create an atmosphere of excessive moral pressure, where victories are expected weekly and even daily".
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
