Russia and Ukraine: Putin prepares for a long war, according to US intelligence

Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine and not even a hypothetical victory in the eastern part would be enough to end the conflict, US intelligence disclosed.

The The warning comes as intense fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, where Russia is trying to gain territory.

Moscow redirected its troops’ efforts to seize the Donbass region after Ukraine rejected attempts to invade its capital, kyiv.

But, despite this, Russian forces are in a deadlock, US intelligence said.

The Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate committee hearing on Tuesday that Putin still intended to “achieve goals beyond Donbas” but that he “faces a mismatch between their ambitions and current military capabilities Russia’s conventional resources”.

He added that the Russian president was “probably” counting on US and EU support for Ukraine weakening with rising inflation, shortage of food and energy prices.

Putin could resort to “mmethodss more drastic” to as the war continues, although it would only use nuclear weapons if it perceives an “existential threat” to Russia, according to US intelligence

The director of the Defense Intelligence Agency , Scott Berrier, indicated at the same hearing that the Russians and the Ukrainians were somewhat in a deadlock.

Ukraine claims to have recovered four settlements in the northeastern region of Kharkov in recent fighting.

Cherkasy Tyshky, Ruski Tyshky, Rubizhne and Bayrak were recovered after their capture by Ru sia, the Ukrainian armed forces announced.

President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Ukrainian troops were gradually expelling Russian troops from Kharkov, which has been bombed since the war began.

But he said that the Ukrainians “should not create an environment of excessive moral pressure

in the that weekly and even daily victories are expected”.

And in other parts of eastern Ukraine:

• In the city of Izyum the bodies of were found civilians among the rubble of a collapsed building, while the battle for control of the area continues.
• The five-story building collapsed in March. Residents had taken refuge from Russian bombardment in the basement, but rescuers were only able to reach the surface of the building.
  • Located southeast of Kharkov, Izyum is known as the gateway to Donbas . It is surrounded by forests and rivers, which makes it a natural fortress
  • The final battle for Mariupol is fought in the sprawling Azovstal steelworks, where hundreds of Ukrainian fighters are hiding in underground tunnels and bunkers, surrounded by of Russian troops.
  • • Capturing Mariupol is a key war goal for Moscow, because doing so would give it control of one of Ukraine’s largest ports and easier access to the region in general.
    • In the port city of Odessa the missiles hit several buildings overnight and shook nearby houses. One person was killed and five were injured, the Ukrainian armed forces reported.

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