Russia will “pay a very high price” for its war in Ukraine for a long time to come, CIA Director Bill Burns said Thursday, CNN reports.

“I think if you step back now, it’s hard to see the war data — Putin’s war data — as anything other than a failure,” Burns said at a cybersecurity conference in Washington, DC.

“Not only the vulnerability of the Russian army was revealed, but also the long-term damage to the Russian economy and generations of Russians.”

“Russia will pay a very high price, I think, for a long period of time,” he said.

Burns’ remarks came as Ukraine launched what the CIA director called a counteroffensive in the south and in Kharkiv — though some U.S. officials are reluctant to call Ukraine’s operation a true “counteroffensive” yet, and its chances for territory and claims to it remain. not clear

“In the northeastern part of Ukraine, I would not underestimate the ability or courage of Ukrainians at this time,” Burns added.

Ukrainian General Oleksiy Gromov said that during the lightning counteroffensive, Ukraine won back more than 700 square kilometers of its territory in the east and south.

Kombrig also reported that during the ongoing operation, Ukrainian troops pushed back the occupiers for 50 km and recaptured more than 20 villages of the Kharkiv region.

“The Ukrainians demonstrated the superiority of the Russians in tactical skill”

At the same time, according to the head of the American General Staff, American General Mark Milley, Ukraine hit more than 400 Russian targets with HIMARS missile systems provided by the United States.

“We see real and measurable benefits for Ukraine from the use of these systems. For example, the Ukrainians hit more than 400 targets with HIMARS, and they had a devastating effect,” he told reporters at the Ramstein Air Base in southern Germany after a meeting of US allied ministers to discuss how to provide Kiev with long-term countermeasures support. Russian invasion.

Mark Milley also stated that “for now, Russia’s strategic goals have been defeated” in Ukraine.

“Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, the Ukrainians demonstrated unparalleled tactical skill and demonstrated a superior will to fight, to fight for their country, to fight for their freedom,” Milley said at a press conference with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.