Putin has turned to ‘war of attrition’ in Ukraine, warns UK intelligence chief

Vladimir Putin has embarked on a deadly war of attrition as Russia’s advance in Ukraine continues to stall in the face of fierce resistance, Britain’s chief of defence intelligence has warned.

Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull said the Kremlin has been forced to switch tactics, turning to the “reckless and indiscriminate” use of firepower which will inevitably lead to more civilian casualties.

The Russians have “enormous” stocks of artillery ammunition and could maintain their bombardment for weeks in an attempt to force Ukraine into submission, Western officials say.

The warning came as Mr Putin, Russia’s President, made a rare public appearance to address a mass flag-waving rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium to mark the eighth anniversary of his country’s annexation of Crimea.

He praised the efforts of Russia’s forces, declaring: “Shoulder to shoulder, they help and support each other.”

However, Gen Hockenhull said that, more than three weeks into the campaign, it is clear the Kremlin has still not achieved any of its initial objectives.

“It has been surprised by the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian resistance and has been bedevilled by problems of its own making,” he told journalists.

“Russian operations have changed. Russia is now pursuing strategy of attrition. This will involve the reckless and indiscriminate use of firepower.

“This will result in increased civilian casualties, disruption of Ukrainian infrastructure and intensify the humanitarian crisis.”

At the same time, Mr Putin is tightening his control over Russian media in a bid to disguise the heavy losses his forces have suffered in battle, Gen Hockenhull said.

“The Kremlin is attempting to control the narrative, hide operational problems and obscure high Russian casualty numbers from the Russian people,” he said.

As many as 7,000 Russian troops have died so far in the fighting, including four major generals and a number of other senior officers, American sources estimate.