Russia unlikely to make 'major' territorial gains in Ukraine this year: US intel

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Russia's offensive to seize additional Ukrainian territory is unlikely to lead to major battlefield gains, the head of US intelligence said Wednesday amid raging hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that Russia's military is "experiencing high casualty rates" as the Kremlin pushes its offensive on Ukraine's Donbas region, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "likely better understanding the limits of what his military is capable of achieving."

"It will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain even the current level of offensive operations in the coming months and consequently, they may fully shift to holding and defending the territories they now occupy," she said during testimony before the Senate intelligence committee.

"We do not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains," she added.

While Putin "appears to be focused on more modest military objectives for now," Haines said he is determined to achieve his objectives over the longer term.

"Putin most likely calculates the time works in his favor, and that prolonging the war, including with potential pauses in the fighting, may be his best remaining pathway to eventually securing Russian strategic interests in Ukraine, even if it takes years," she said.

The comments come as Russian forces continue their seven-month effort to encircle and take Bakhmut, which is located in the industrial heartland of the Donbas.

The city, while strategically of little importance, has grown in symbolic value with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowing not to let it fall to Moscow as Putin seeks to seize the wider region amid fierce resistance from Kyiv’s forces.

“We are defending and will continue to defend every part of Ukraine. When the time comes, we will liberate every city and village of our country. And we will hold the occupier accountable for every shot against Ukraine, for every meanness against Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday.