Western Officials Warn That The Russian Military Can Still 'Crush Ukraine'

 

Daily Mail: Russian troops 'are humiliated'... but they can still crush Ukraine: Officials warn that Vladimir Putin's forces are gaining territory and now outnumber defending soldiers three to one 

* A general known as 'The Butcher' overhauled the performance of the advance 

* Officials believe it will be hard to dislodge Russians from areas they have won 

* Russian forces launched a blitzkrieg on Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv 

* Putin also declared the 'successful liberation' of the southern city of Mariupol 

* He ordered his forces to seal off the steel plant housing the remaining defenders 

* The U.S. meanwhile declared yet another round of arms shipments and monetary aid was destined for Ukraine 

Russian troops are being 'ritually humiliated' in Ukraine but they are still in a position to win the war, Western officials cautioned last night. 

In their bleakest assessment of the campaign since the very first days, they admitted that Vladimir Putin's forces were gaining territory and presently outnumber the defenders by three soldiers to one. 

Moscow's troops failed in their initial invasion objectives, with Ukraine inflicting a series of humiliating defeats on them.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Western officials say Russia can still win in Ukraine despite setbacks (Reuters)  

Update #2: Russia can still ‘win’ Ukraine war, Western officials warn (The Week)  

WNU Editor: French media has been giving a gloomy assessment on the war for the past week. And now it is the British media saying the situation is dire. Even UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is saying the war could be lost .... Boris Johnson concedes Russia could win war and proposes sending tanks to Poland (Financial times). More here .... Boris Johnson admits 'realistic possibility' that Russia could win the war in Ukraine, and that it may last until the end of 2023 (Business Insider).