Russia embarked on a deadly attrition war after failing to achieve its original purpose in Ukraine. The British Defense Intelligence Director warned.
Lieutenant Jim Hockenhal said the use of “reckless and indiscriminate” firepower by the Russian army would inevitably lead to more civilian casualties.
“The Kremlin has so far failed to achieve its original purpose. It has been amazed by the magnitude and ferocity of Ukraine’s resistance and has been plagued by its own problems.”
“Russia’s operations have changed. Russia is now pursuing a depletion strategy, including the reckless and indiscriminate use of firepower.
“This will increase civilian casualties, disrupt Ukrainian infrastructure and intensify humanitarian crises.”
At the same time, Hockenhal said President Vladimir Putin is strengthening his control over Russia’s domestic media in an attempt to hide the problems he faces in his military operations.
“The Kremlin is trying to control the story, hide operational problems, and hide Russia’s high casualties from the Russian people,” he said.
In the latest updates on the war in Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the Russian army “had minimal progress this week.”
“Ukrainian troops around Kyiv and Mykolaiv continue to annoy Russia’s attempts to surround the city. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Smy and Mariupori remain surrounded and are under heavy Russian bombardment.”
I talked to the president @ZelenskyyUa He praised the unwavering resistance of the Ukrainians in the face of aggression.
Britain supports Ukraine. We will send more defensive assistance and they will fully support the negotiations.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 18, 2022
On Friday morning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the latest situation for about 20 minutes.
“We praised the firm resistance of the Ukrainians in the face of the attack,” Johnson wrote on Twitter.
“The UK supports Ukraine. We will send more defensive assistance and they will fully support the negotiations.”
Earlier, Army Minister James Hepee said Russia had not made any real progress in the field.
He told the BBC Breakfast: “In reality, on a large map, the photo looks exactly like last week. Russia hasn’t made any substantial progress.”
He said the UK is currently training Ukrainians to use the Starstreak anti-aircraft missile system, which is currently supplied by the UK and will arrive in the country “soon”.
PA Media contributed to this report.
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