"Putin Not Going To Stop": UK Official's Warning On Ukraine War Anniversary

The British Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, has said that the conflict in Ukraine could last another 12 months as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is going to complete a year tomorrow. 

The Defence Secretary, speaking to LBC News, was asked if the conflict between Ukraine and Russia could last another year, and Mr. Wallace said: "I think it will."

"I think Russia has shown a complete disregard, not only for the lives of the people of Ukraine, but for its own soldiers."

"You know, we are sitting here 12 months in, and 188,000... Russian soldiers are dead or injured as a result of this catastrophic miscalculation and aggression by President Putin."

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"And you know, when someone's crossed the line and thinks it's okay to do that to your own people and is effectively running a meat grinder for an army, I think he's not going to stop."

The defence minister claimed that with 97% of his force already engaged and two-thirds of his tanks damaged, Russian President Putin had already failed in his attempt to completely occupy Ukraine.

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"I think we see signs of when the Russian army can't manage to do anything else or do very much more," he said.

"So I think his original ambition last February 24 was to capture eight main objectives, all the big cities in three weeks, and he would have Kyiv in three days, and it would all be over."

Mr Wallace added: "His three-day offensive has turned into his 365-day offensive, and he has still not captured or held a single one of its objectives."

According to latest UN human rights office (OHCHR) data, at least 8,000 non-combatants have been confirmed killed with nearly 13,300 injured - since the Russian invasion on 24 February last year.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukraine "will prevail" over invading Russian forces, a day before the first anniversary of Moscow's assault on his country.

"We have not broken down, we have overcome many ordeals, and we will prevail. We will hold to account all those who brought this evil, this war to our land," Zelensky said on social media.