Russia is experiencing “continued failure” in the Ukrainian war, according to U.K. officials, but other reports suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin will not call off the invasion any time soon.
The Kremlin has moved the majority of its forces to the east of the country, the Donbas region, but the Ukrainian resistance has been courageously fighting back, as the ministry of defense reported in its Tuesday evening update.
The MoD tweeted: “Russia’s ability to progress continues to be impacted by the environmental, logistical and technical challenges that has beset them so far, combined with the resilience of the highly motivated Ukrainian armed forces.”
The MoD has previously flagged the declining morale within the Russian ranks, too, stemming from the lack of supplies and personnel.
A senior national security official told Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet on Tuesday that some Russian units were refusing to fight in the war.
However, the inability to secure quick victories in Ukraine is likely to make the attacks more aggressive, according to the MoD.
The officials tweeted Tuesday: “Russia’s inability to stamp out resistance in Mariupol and their indiscriminate attacks, which have harmed the resident civilian populace are indicative of their continued failure to achieve their aims as quickly as they would like.”
For instance, Mariupol, the port town in southeast Ukraine, has been under siege for more than 50 days.
But, this could soon change — a marine commander from the region called for help from the international community on Wednesday morning, warning that “the enemy is outnumbering us 10 to one...we have just days or hours left.”
Even so, the MoD flags the “resilience of the highly-motivated Ukrainian armed forces” as one of the driving reasons why Russian forces have so far failed in their offensive.
The war also seems to have strengthened the west — exactly the opposite of what Putin set out to do.
Interim U.S. Ambassador to the U.K., Philip T. Reeker, told Sky News: “Vladimir Putin thought he would find a divided west, a divided alliance, that he would be able to drive wedges. He was sorely mistaken.”
He said the NATO alliance is actually stronger than ever now.
Will Putin Accept That He Is Failing?
According to Bloomberg, “More and more top insiders have come to believe that Putin’s commitment to continue the invasion will doom Russia to years of isolation and heightened tension.”
The Kremlin insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, allegedly fear this will compromise the country’s security, economy and global influence, as the world has reacted in horror at Russia’s alleged attacks on civilians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly warned that this war will scar Russia for years to come, writing on Telegram in his nightly update that the “vileness” of the invasion “will mark the Russian state as a source of absolute evil for generations.”
However, Bloomberg adds in its summary: “Many powerful players are too fearful of the widening crackdown on dissent to voice their concerns in public.”
Instead, it believes: “Putin is determined to push on with the fight, even if the Kremlin has had to reduce its ambitions from a quick, sweeping takeover of much of the country to a gruelling battle for the Donbas region in the east.”