Move by Russian president is latest attempt to increase troop numbers in Ukraine
There is a “realistic possibility” that Russian forces will launch long-range strikes on Ukraine in the coming days to undermine Ukrainian morale over the new year period, the UK Ministry of Defence says.
It its daily intelligence update, the ministry said that since October, Russia had followed a general pattern of launching an intensive wave of strikes every seven to 10 days, primarily targeting Ukraine’s power distribution network. The latest was on Thursday.
Russia is almost certainly following this approach in an attempt to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences.
However, there is a realistic possibility that Russia will break this pattern to strike again in the coming days in an effort to undermine the morale of the Ukrainian population over the new year holiday period.
Beijing claims to be neutral, but its behaviour makes clear it is still investing in close ties to Russia.