'Realistically possible' Russia wins against Ukraine: PM Johnson

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There is a "realistic possibility" the war in Ukraine could drag on until the end of next year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday, though he insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not succeed in trying to "grind the Ukrainians down" through the ongoing war in the country.

The premier's words came during a press conference in India when he was asked if Putin was "still in a position to win" and whether the war would continue until the end of next year. His response was: "the sad thing is, that is a realistic possibility."

"Putin has a huge army. He has a very difficult political position because he's made a catastrophic blunder," he claimed, adding, "The only option he now has really is to continue to try to use his appalling, grinding approach - led by artillery - trying to grind the Ukrainians down. And he's very close to securing a land bridge in Mariupol."

Though he underlined that he found the situation to be unpredictable, he asserted that Russia's military superiority would "not be able to conquer the spirit of the Ukrainian people."

Despite being in hot waters back home over the Partygate scandal, Johnson said from India that the United Kingdom and its allies would "look at what more we can do militarily," underlining the shipments of military equipment to the region and plans to send tanks to Poland to "backfill" their military resources to assist with them sending heavier weaponry to help defend Ukraine.

He also vowed to impose more sanctions on Russia and "intensify pressure on Putin" over the situation in Ukraine following the tide of measures taken by the West in a bid to corner and isolate Moscow.

The United Kingdom will reopen its embassy in Ukraine after closing it down following the start of the war despite Johnson citing a "lack of certainty" regarding the situation in the country.

London had relocated its embassy staff from Kiev to Lvov days ahead of the beginning of the war, moving them to the West of the country away from the border with Russia.

The spokesperson for the Russian Armed Forces, Major General Igor Konashenkov, announced Friday, that the Russian forces destroyed Thursday nine fuel depots, 37 command and mobilization centers, and an S-300 system near the settlement of Novoselka.

Though the West is trying to curb Russia, the spokesperson of the Russian ministry of defense, Igor Konashenkov, revealed that the Russian armed forces completed Thursday 1,285 firing missions and bombed 1,221 strongholds and locations where the Ukrainian armed forces and military equipment.

He added that the aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit 58 Ukrainian military facilities, and the air defenses shot down seven Ukrainian UAVs.

The United Kingdom is one of the latest Western countries to announce sending more arms to Ukraine, namely Starstreak missiles, in a package worth some £150 million ($195 million).