In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde published on January 12, Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov stressed: "In 2023, the first Ukrainian incursions took place in Crimea... And this is just the beginning." Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
On the other hand, Mr. Budanov, 38, admitted that the front lines have largely frozen in Ukraine, according to AFP. "The intensive use of drone attacks by both sides has made attacks by both Russia and Ukraine impossible. Another factor is the density of minefields, unprecedented since World War II," Mr. Budanov said.
Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov at an event in Kyiv in September 2023
Mr Budanov also said that the resilience of the Russian economy had surprised him and that current Western sanctions were not enough to force Moscow to change its behaviour.
Signs of fatigue with the war in Ukraine may be growing, but Mr Budanov called on the West to continue supporting Kyiv militarily and said now was not the right time to negotiate with Russia.
US concerned about split between President Zelensky and Ukraine's commander-in-chief
Mr. Budanov was the one who accurately predicted Russia's launch of a military campaign in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, according to AFP.
There is currently no information about Russia's reaction to Mr. Budanov's statement.
Ukraine destroyed 26 Russian planes with mysterious weapons?
During a recent press conference in Latvia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Ukrainian forces had destroyed 26 Russian helicopters in just one day using a mysterious long-range weapon provided by Kyiv's allies, according to Newsweek magazine on January 12.
"Our partners have provided us with some long-range weapons. I will not say anything, but our partners will understand. With those weapons, we destroyed 26 helicopters in one day," Newsweek quoted information from the RBC-Ukraine news site.
According to Ukrainian armed forces figures, the country has not shot down any Russian helicopters since October 19. Therefore, it is unclear whether Mr. Zelensky was referring to the number of Russian aircraft destroyed but not yet announced, or those destroyed more than 3 months ago.
Ukraine's air defense struggles against Russia's new decoy trick?
The Ukrainian president also stressed that the weapon he was referring to was part of an air defense system, not a ground attack weapon.
There is currently no information about Russia's reaction to President Zelensky's statement.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on January 12 that since January 6-12, the Russian military has carried out 23 attacks on defense industrial facilities and military bases of Ukraine, according to TASS News Agency. There is no information about Ukraine's response.
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