- The Russian president hopes that his strategy against Kyiv will wear down the West as well.

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a ceremony to mark the Day of National Unity in Moscow's Red Square.

Putin already assumes that the invasion of Ukraine will go on for a long time: "He is desperate"

The next few months will be very long. Vladimir Putin is expanding his war in Ukraine, stepping up mobilization and preparing for a long conflict, according to The Mirror. A confidential security assessment by allied figures suggests the misled Russian leader is still adamant his "hybrid war" will overcome Western resolve.

Putin believes that his program of Iranian drones targeting energy infrastructure, cyber-attacks, weaponizing refugees, fake news, and sabotage will prevail to wear down not only Kyiv but the West as well. Putin's position comes against a backdrop of disastrous casualties among raw recruits, many killed by their own side for fleeing, and troop morale at rock bottom.

The outlet quotes a young Russian when asked why he fled his own country in the face of the draft, as saying that he "saw no reason to die defending his country when no one was attacking it."

Russian commanders are said to be using "blockade units" to "finish off" anyone who retreats, in a revival of WWII Eastern Front tactics.

The assessment also says that Russian commanders are desperate for an operational pause, a pause in operations to build defenses against the Ukrainian counteroffensive. In addition, Russian troops are having to resort to "isolated" engagements against Ukraine, using artillery, mortars, and grenade launchers, as they cannot "get close" to the Kyiv forces.

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