British official: Russian forces have become exhausted

Vladimir Putin has made strategic errors in his pursuit of the war in Ukraine partly because there are so few restraints on his leadership, the head of the British spy agency GCHQ will say in a speech, reported from The Guardian.

Russia's soldiers are running out of supplies and munitions and initial gains made by Moscow are being reversed, Jeremy Fleming is expected to add in a rare public address.

"Far from the inevitable Russian military victory that their propaganda machine spouted, it's clear that Ukraine's courageous action on the battlefield and in cyberspace is turning the tide," Fleming will say.

Focusing on the Russian president directly, Fleming is expected to say that "with a little effective internal challenge, his decision-making has proved flawed" and that he has engaged in "a high-stakes strategy that is leading to strategic errors in judgment".

The GCHQ director will highlight the costs to Russia from the months of fighting, arguing that Moscow's forces have become exhausted and its recent mobilization of conscripts shows signs of desperation. "We know – and Russian commanders on the ground know – that their supplies and munitions are running out," he will add.

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