The new offensive launched by Russia is “very bad,” according to a senior U.S. State Department official who questioned whether the Russian people would continue to support the war in Ukraine, CNN reported.

“You see a war raging in the east, in Bakhmut,” said US Undersecretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. “Russia has announced that it is starting a new offensive. Well, if that’s the case, that’s pretty pathetic, I’d say.’

According to her, Ukraine is planning its own counteroffensive “for later”.

Nuland said that “over 200,000 Russians” have been killed or wounded so far in the war, and that Russia “has lost, in some categories, more than half of its military equipment in this war.”

An American official believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is arrogant enough to think that he can defeat Ukraine.”

“I think the most interesting question is whether the Russian people will accept this, considering how many of their sons they lose, more than 200,000 Russians killed or wounded in the fighting during the year. According to some categories of weapons, they lost more than half of their military equipment in this war, and more than a million of the best and most talented Russians left the country,” she added.

“So what does this war give the average Russian? nothing Death, destruction, loss of future, loss of technological and economic potential that would come if they were integrated with us,” Nuland said. “So it’s more interesting whether the Russian people will accept it.”

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, said on Wednesday that the city of Bakhmut could be surrounded in March or April, according to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

However, Prigozhin added that this is “difficult to predict” and Russia’s success in encircling the city depends in part on the amount of Western weapons delivered to Ukraine.

“We will not celebrate too soon,” Prigozhin admitted, as quoted by his Telegram press service.

“Bakhmut will not be taken tomorrow, because there is strong resistance, shelling, and the meat grinder is working,” he added, referring to the heavy losses on the battlefield.

Read also:

• What would be the Kremlin’s “plan B” for Ukraine this year
• Zelensky excludes the transfer of territories in a potential peace agreement / Answer and Lukashenka
• Western official: Vladimir Putin’s stay in power is now less certain / What two high-ranking sources in the Kremlin said

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