Warning Putin plotting to launch major new attack after ‘reset’ – military intelligence

Ukraine: Russian armoured vehicles targeted in Kyiv suburb

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Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has so far left Moscow looking inept after failing to take control of the country more than two weeks after the invasion began. Russia has suffered heavy military losses and videos have emerged of soldiers surrendering to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, progress of a 40-mile convoy on its way to the capital has slowed.

“It remains highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved the objectives outlined in its pre-invasion plan,” a military intelligence briefing from the Ministry of Defence said.

“Russian ground forces continue to make limited progress.

“Logistical issues that have hampered the Russian advance persist, as does strong Ukrainian resistance.”

However, there are fears the worst is yet to come.

Britain believes Russia is readying for a fresh push on Ukraine strongholds and is currently regathering itself for a renewed assault.

Military intelligence warned: “Russia is likely seeking to reset and re-posture its forces for renewed offensive activity in the coming days.

“This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv.”

With Putin becoming increasingly desperate to win the war he first wagered on February 24, there are fears he will turn to drastic measures to meet his aims.

Last night Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the Kremlin was launching a disinformation campaign about Ukraine preparing to use chemical weapons, possibly as a pretext to Moscow using the weapons itself.

“The stuff which you are hearing about chemical weapons is straight out of the Russian playbook,” he told Sky News.

“They start saying that there are chemical weapons that are being stored by their opponents or by the Americans, so that when they themselves deploy chemical weapons – as I fear they may – they have a sort of a maskirovka, a fake story, ready to go.”

Mr Johnson said that he believed the conflict would only end when Mr Putin accepted he had made “a disastrous miscalculation” and withdrew his forces.

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However, he admitted it was unlikely Putin would be willing to accept such failure.

The Prime Minister said: “Vladimir Putin has himself made it very difficult to find an off ramp, and he has, I think, driven his tank, so to speak, down a cul de sac from which it will be very hard to extricate himself but he must.”

This morning Technology Minister Chris Philp warned the UK would issue a “dramatic increased response” if chemical weapons were used.

He told Times Radio: “Clearly, the use of chemical weapons, especially in an invasion where there are a very large number of civilians, would be an outrage against humanity.

“I would say to anybody in Russia thinking about this: do not cross that line, do not inflict any more misery and suffering on the Ukrainian people.

“They’ve already been shooting civilians who are fleeing down humanitarian escape corridors, they’ve been bombing and shelling hospitals including a children’s/maternity hospital, do not go any further in inflicting misery on the Ukrainian people.

“It will trigger an increased response from the West, there’s a dramatic increased response, there’s no question about that.

“I’m not going to speculate about the form that’s going to take or pre-empt it, but that’s a line that Russian governments should not cross.”

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