According to British intelligence services, the Russian military is likely to take some sort of pause in operations in Ukraine in the coming weeks. This would give Ukraine an opportunity to counterattack, MI6 chief Richard Moore said. Because so far, according to conservative estimates, around 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war in Ukraine. It will become increasingly difficult for the Russian military to get personnel and material in the coming weeks.
“I think they’re regarding to run out of breath,” Moore said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. “They will have to rest in a way and that will give the Ukrainians a chance to hit back.”
Nearly five months following Russia invaded Ukraine, Kyiv is hoping to use Western weapons, particularly long-range US missiles such as the HIMARS, which Kyiv has deployed in recent weeks, to launch a counterattack and retake Russian-held territories in the coming weeks be able.
Moore stressed that Ukraine must show that the war can be won – both to maintain high Ukrainian morale and to bolster Western resolve as concerns mount over Europe’s energy shortages during the coming winter.
Counterstrike ability?
“I think it’s important for the Ukrainians themselves to demonstrate their ability to counter-attack. And I think that will be very important for their continued high morale,” Moore said. And it is also important for the rest of Europe to see that Ukraine can win. “Because we’re facing a pretty tough winter.” In this atmosphere, “with the pressure on gas supplies and all the rest, we’re definitely going to have a rough time,” Moore said.
Moore said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is taking its toll mostly on poorer, rural communities and that Putin is not recruiting forces into the conflict from the middle-class areas of St. Petersburg or Moscow. “These are poor children from rural Russia. They come from working class towns in Siberia. They are disproportionately ethnic minorities. And they are his cannon fodder,” Moore said.
When asked if he knew regarding Putin’s health, Moore said, “There is no evidence that Putin is seriously ill.”
