Russia’s war in Ukraine is now into its 10th month, and as the weather drops below freezing, the invasion is entering a new phase. According to the head of the US intelligence services, the war is running at a “reduced pace”. Meanwhile, a Kremlin official defended Russia’s repeated strikes against Ukraine’s critical energy facilities, which civilians need to stay warm this winter. Here are the latest developments.
Putin more ‘aware’ of military difficulties, says intelligence chief
The director of the US National Intelligence Service said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been “better informed” about the challenges facing the military. Speaking at a defense forum, Avril Haines reported that the Kremlin leader is no longer shielded from negative information about Russia’s position in the war. Haynes also stated that the conflict appeared to be operating at a “reduced pace” as both sides were resupplying for a possible spring counteroffensive.
Kremlin defends infrastructure strikes
A local resident whose house has been destroyed sits in a tent for warmth in Borodyanka, near Kyiv, on Sunday. (Dimitar Dilkov/AFP via Getty Images) Sergei Lavrov, the Kremlin’s foreign minister, defended Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, saying they were legitimate targets. “This infrastructure supports the combat capability of the Ukrainian armed forces and nationalist battalions,” Lavrov said Thursday during a video call with reporters. Removing the energy facilities, he said, would in turn minimize the number of Russian casualties, as this infrastructure “allows you to continue pumping lethal weapons into Ukraine.”
Macron talks about peace negotiations
French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference with President Biden at the White House on December 1. (Susan Walsh/AP) During a state visit to the US, French President Emmanuel Macron said the West should consider Russia’s need for security guarantees if peace talks are to resume. Speaking in an interview with French media on Saturday, Macron said Europe must prepare a “dialogue” for both Russian and Ukrainian officials to “return to the table”. “One of the key points we have to deal with, as President Putin has always said, is the fear that NATO is reaching its doors and developing weapons that could threaten Russia,” Macron said. He added that preparations must be made so that Europe knows “what we are ready to do, how we protect our allies and our member states.” The story continues
Russia lost 60 aircraft likely to Ukrainian “air defense”
The wreckage of a Russian aircraft in a field near the city of Izium, Kharkiv region, on September 30. (Vladyslav Musiienko/Reuters) The UK Ministry of Defense revealed on Monday that Russia has lost more than 60 fixed-wing aircraft so far in the invasion. At the beginning of the war, Russia was flying up to 300 missions a day, but now it is “flying significantly” fewer missions a day. “The decrease in expenditures is likely a result of the continued high threat posed by Ukrainian air defenses, restrictions on flight hours available to Russian aircraft and worsening weather,” the defense ministry said on Twitter. “With Russia’s ground attack tactics heavily dependent on visual reconnaissance and unguided munitions, the Russian air force will likely continue with a low rate of ground attack operations due to the bad winter.”
