US intelligence: Ukraine war slows down in winter

US intelligence believes that the conflict in Ukraine has begun to slow down and this will continue into the coming winter months.

According to news reported by the Turkish BBC, US national intelligence director Avril Haines said that Russian and Ukrainian forces will go to “repair, supply and restructure” for the counterattack in the spring. Haines told an advocacy forum in California that the fighting is currently focused on the Bakhmut and Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Stating that the fighting slowed down after Russia withdrew its troops from the western Kherson region last month, Haines said:

“We are already seeing the intensity of the conflict decrease and we hope to see it in the coming months.”

Haines said both the Ukrainian and Russian armies would want to prepare for any counter-attack after the winter, adding: “But we have serious doubts whether the Russians will really be prepared to do it.”

Noting that US intelligence believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot fully see how tough his military is at this stage, Haines said: “We see a shortage of ammunition due to lack of morale, supply, logistics and a series of problems they face.

The war in Ukraine is now in its ninth month, but Russia has lost more than half the territory it captured. Recently, Russia has been carrying out attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.