Russia’s invasion has “largely stalled on all fronts” amid sustained resistance from the Ukrainian people, British intelligence has concluded.
In its daily update, the Ministry of Defence in London said that:
“Russian forces have made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days and they continue to suffer heavy losses.
“Ukrainian resistance remains staunch and well-coordinated. The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands.”
Some 150,000 Russian soldiers, many of whom are teenage conscripts, have been deployed and US intelligence estimates that at least 7,000 of them have died. Such a figure would exceed the entire American death toll from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A further 21,000 are estimated to have been injured.
The high death toll has severely hampered the Russians’ ability to fight - the Pentagon say that if 10% of a unit are killed or wounded, then the unit will become unable to carry out operational tasks.
F5DGYC Ukrainian Army Ground Forces soldiers following a live-fire training exercise at Central City Camp, International Peacekeeping and Security Center October 29, 2015 near Yavoriv, Ukraine. Picture by: Alamy.comPeace talks
The news comes as both sides have said the peace talks are progressing. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said they had “seriously discussed” the idea that Ukraine become a militarily neutral country.
While the Ukrainians have said that Russia’s negotiators have become “more realistic” in their demands.
The Financial Times reports that Kyiv could give up its aspiration to join NATO in exchange for guarantees of its safety from allies such as the US, Britain or Turkey. Ukraine would also promise not to host foreign troops on Ukrainian soil.
However, the future of the disputed regions of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk is a key stumbling block.
Moreover, the Ukrainians simply do not trust the Russians to keep their promises:
“There’s a likelihood this is trickery and illusion,” a source briefed the Financial Times.
“They lie about everything — Crimea, the build-up of troops on the border, and the ‘hysteria’ over the invasion.”
Main image: Crimea - 24th Feb, 2022. A column of army trucks approaches the Perekop checkpoint. Picture by: Sergei Malgavko/TASS/Alamy Live News
