— They have a hard time keeping up, says MI6 chief Richard Moore.
Moore spoke at the Aspen Security Forum conference in Colorado in an unusual public appearance, reports said BBC.
Like the US, the UK considers the Russian war of aggression to be a major failure so far – with the West closing in behind Ukraine rather than drifting apart.
Will need a break
Moore calls the invasion “the most heinous” aggression in Europe since World War II. According to him, Russia’s progress is “very small”.
– Our assessment is that the Russians will find it difficult to get manpower and material in the coming weeks, he says, according to the BBC.
— They will need a break somehow and that will give the Ukrainians the opportunity to fight back.
At the same time, Ukraine’s ability to counter-attack depends on the pace and persistence of Western arms deliveries.
Richard Moore points out that a clear Ukrainian success on the battlefield would be “a useful reminder to the rest of Europe” that the war is winnable. Not least before the winter when the lack of access to gas can be felt in many countries.
“We have a tough time ahead of us,” he says.
Spying capacity halved
The MI6 chief also says that around 400 Russian spies who worked under diplomatic cover have been expelled from European countries, halving Russia’s intelligence capacity in Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi raised the counter-strike capability in his daily speech, which came after a meeting with his top military commanders and ministers.
“We have a significant potential to advance at the front and inflict significant losses on the occupiers,” says the president.