US intelligence has warned that Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine, with even victory in the east potentially not ending the conflict.
The warning comes as fierce fighting continues in the east, where Russia is trying to take territory.
Moscow refocused its troops on capturing the Donbas region after Ukraine resisted attempts to take its capital, Kyiv.
Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, told a US Senate committee hearing yesterday that Mr Putin was still intending to achieve goals beyond the Donbas, but that he faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia’s current conventional military capabilities.
