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RUSSIAN BEAR TAMED

Putin’s war machine is WRECKED as Russian military ‘to take years to rebuild – and won’t seize more of Ukraine’, US says

RUSSIA’S military will require years of rebuilding after suffering devastating losses in Ukraine, US intelligence has said.

America’s Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines also said she doesn’t foresee Vladimir Putin’s forces securing any more ground in the second year of the Ukraine war.

Ukrainian soldiers firing at the Russians
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Ukrainian soldiers firing at the RussiansCredit: AP
Russian troops have suffered a catastrophic defeat in the town of Vuhledar
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Russian troops have suffered a catastrophic defeat in the town of VuhledarCredit: AP
Russia is estimated to have lost 137 military vehicles
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Russia is estimated to have lost 137 military vehiclesCredit: AP

Deluded Putin thought he could defeat Ukraine in three days and that thousands would rise up to overthrown Volodymyr Zelensky, his own spies have revealed.

But the Russian tyrant’s invasion has turned into a military failure of incredible scale, with poorly trained and equipped soldiers being sent to their deaths by incompetent leaders.

US intelligence agencies have released their annual report on threats to America, as its leaders appeared at the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In the report, the spies said Russia's military will require years of rebuilding.

READ MORE ON THE UKRAINE WAR

That will make it more reliant on nuclear weapons as well as cyber warfare.

Addressing the committee, Haines described Ukraine as "a grinding, attritional war".

She said that the US intelligence does not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains.

Haines also said Russia probably does not seek conflict with the United States and NATO.

But the war in Ukraine carries "great risk" of that happening and there is "real potential" for Russia's military failures to hurt Putin's domestic standing, raising the potential for escalation.

Russia has now lost more than 150,000 soldiers in the Ukraine war, according to figures from Kyiv’s defence ministry.

As well as soldiers, the Russians have lost vast quantities of weapons, including 3397 tanks, 6658 armoured vehicles, 2398 artillery guns, 300 warplanes and 18 ships.

Russia recently suffered one of its worst defeats since the start of the war in Ukraine losing up to 300 soldiers a day and leaving more than 100 military vehicles destroyed.

The failure of Putin's forces to take Vuhledar, a small town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, is seen as a major humiliation for the Russian army.

Meanwhile, intense fighting is raging around the town of Bakhmut.

Relentless Russian forces have besieged Bakhmut for around seven months as part of Putin's grinding eastern offensive.

Most buildings have been reduced to rubble and thousands of soldiers have died in street battles.

Countless thousands have died on both sides.

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Putin’s Wagner Group mercenaries have become cannon fodder after launching assaults on foot against the defenders’ guns.

The small town of Vuhledar has seen weeks of fierce fighting
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The small town of Vuhledar has seen weeks of fierce fightingCredit: EPA

Russia's forces were caught in a bottleneck around the town
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Russia's forces were caught in a bottleneck around the townCredit: Newsflash
Some 5,000 elite Russian soldiers have been killed, wounded or captured
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Some 5,000 elite Russian soldiers have been killed, wounded or capturedCredit: Newsflash

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