Skip to content
Edit post

US intelligence chief: Russia may switch to defense due to lack of resources

by Dinara Khalilova March 8, 2023 9:50 PM 1 min read
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing concerning worldwide threats on Capitol Hill on March 8, 2023, in Washington, DC. ( Drew Angerer via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Become a member Support us just once

Russia could shift to a strategy of holding and defending existing positions as it lacks the ammunition and troops to make significant territorial gains in Ukraine in 2023, Avril Haines, the director of U.S. national intelligence, said on March 8, cited by the New York Times.

According to Haines, after recent setbacks on the battlefield, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has begun to realize the challenges Russian forces are facing and may adjust his strategy in the short term.

Moscow may choose to prolong the war against Ukraine, even if it means long delaying offensive actions, as the best possibility to achieve its strategic goals, Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee.

"Even as the Russian offensive continues, they are experiencing high casualty rates," the top intelligence official said, as quoted by NYT. In addition to personnel losses, the Russian military reportedly suffers from critical morale problems and ammunition shortages.

"If Russia does not initiate a mandatory mobilization and identify substantial third-party ammunition supplies, it will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain the current level of offensive operations in the coming months," added Haines.

She also said Russia was making "incremental progress" in the embattled city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, but it was not a "particularly strategic objective."

Haines' words echoed recent remarks by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the fall of Bakhmut would not be a significant setback for the Ukrainian military.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia pushes for defense production boost amid likely shortage

News Feed

11:14 PM

Romania denies downing Russian drones over Ukraine.

Videos on social media that purport to show Romanian air defense units shooting down Russian attack drones above Ukraine are spreading a false narrative, Romania's Defense Ministry said in a statement on July 26.
Ukraine Daily
News from Ukraine in your inbox
Ukraine news
Please, enter correct email address
3:38 PM

Russian ex-deputy defense minister arrested on corruption charges.

In his previous position, former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov was in charge of the military's logistics chains during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His dismissal was widely seen as a response to the logistic failures that accompanied the early months of Russia's all-out war.
11:31 AM

Сeasefire would leave 25% of Ukraine under Russian control, ambassador says.

"Many countries have proposed the idea of a ceasefire, but no one thinks about what it means. Some 25% of Ukrainian territory would remain under Russian control, which means buying time for Russia to strengthen its capabilities and resume its attacks on Ukraine," Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.