Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long-running conflict in Ukraine and a possible Russian victory in Donbass in the eastern part of the country is unlikely to end the war, said today the head of the US Secret Service, Avril Haynes.
“We believe that President Putin is preparing for a protracted war in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond Donbas,” said Haynes, who briefed Congress today.
She added that Putin expected the West’s resolve to weaken over time.
According to Avril Haynes, there are indications that Russia is seeking to expand its geographical corridor to Transnistria, the autonomous region of Moldova.
In particular, Ms. Haynes said that “the fact that Putin is facing a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia’s current military capabilities probably means that the coming months could bring a more unpredictable turn and possible escalation.”
“The current trend is to increase the likelihood that President Putin will resort to more drastic means, including the imposition of martial law, the reorientation of industrial production or, possibly, the escalation of military action to free up the resources needed to achieve his goals. “The conflict continues, or if it realizes that Russia is losing to Ukraine,” he added.
However, the head of the Secret Service estimated that Putin would not authorize the use of nuclear weapons unless he perceived a threat to the existence of Russia.
According to her, in the short term Putin wants to occupy the two eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, control the city of Kherson and possibly extend the land corridor in the south of Ukraine to Transnistria, the autonomous region of Moldova. Russian troops are currently stationed there.
Concluding, Avril Haynes said that “as both Russia and Ukraine believe they can continue to make military progress, we do not see a viable negotiation process. At least in the short term.”
The US lawmakers were later briefed by the head of the Defense Intelligence Service (DIA), who also said the war was at an impasse.
“The Russians are not winning and the Ukrainians are not winning and we are at a dead end here,” Lt. Gen. Scott Berier told Congress.
Source: Capital
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