The Russian invasion of Ukraine is entering its "third phase", which will be characterized by prolonged fighting, Ukrainian government officials say.
The "first phase" of the Russian offensive was the attempted takeover of Ukraine "within a few days," Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Viktor Andrushev said late Friday night.
The "second phase" was marked by efforts to surround Ukrainian forces and defeat them in several besieged areas, he added.
What the third phase will involve
This new "third phase" will see Russian troops defending the territories in which they have gained control so far, he argued.
"This shows that they are planning a prolonged war," the Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser said. Moscow seems to believe that with a protracted war it can force the West to the negotiating table and force Ukraine to back down, he said.
Meanwhile, Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that so far the fighting has proved that Moscow's image of the Russian military - the "invincible, second largest army in the world", as it presents it - is "false", Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reported.
Arestovich also said he expects the imminent collapse of the Russian economy this summer.
Source.gr
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