The fighting in Ukraine has now reached a stalemate as neither Ukraine nor Russia can make significant gains.. This was stated by the head of Ukrainian military intelligence Kirill Budanov in an interview with the BBC..

" She doesn't move, he said..

After Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson in November, most of the fiercest fighting took place around Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.. Elsewhere, Russian troops appear to be on the defensive as winter slows Ukraine's ground operations across its 1,000km front line..

Budanov said that Russia " He believes that the Kremlin decided to announce another mobilization of conscripts. Budanov added that the Ukrainian forces still lack the resources to move forward on many fronts..

“We cannot defeat them in all directions comprehensively.. Just like they us. We are very much looking forward to new arms deliveries and the arrival of more advanced weapons,” he said..

Earlier this month, after a series of Russian military setbacks, Ukrainian officials warned of the possibility of another ground offensive by enemy forces from Belarus in early 2023.. The offensive could include a second attempt to take Kyiv and bring in tens of thousands of Russian-trained reservists, they said..

Budanov, however, dismissed Russia's actions in Belarus, including the transfer of thousands of troops, as attempts to divert Ukrainian forces from the south and east to the north..

Recently, according to him, a train with Russian soldiers stopped at a place close to the Belarusian-Ukrainian border and returned a few hours later with everyone on board..

“They made it open during the day so that everyone could see it, even if we didn’t want to. To date, I do not see any signs of preparations for an invasion of Kyiv or the northern regions from Belarus,” Budanov said, adding that he does not see a real, immediate threat from the Belarusian troops..

Belarus is used by Russian troops as a springboard for attacks, but Budanov believes that Belarusian society will not support further participation in the war, and analysts question the level of readiness of the 48,000 Belarusian army.

“That is why President Lukashenko is taking all measures to prevent a catastrophe for his country,” he said..

Since the liberation of Kherson, Ukrainian troops have been fighting fierce battles with Russian invaders around Bakhmut. For Russia, capturing the city would disrupt Ukraine's supply lines and open the way for advances on other Ukrainian strongholds to the east, including Kramatorsk and Slovyansk..

The offensive, according to Budanov, is led by the " Its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is believed to want to seize the city as a political prize amid rivalry between Russian officials..

Off the battlefield, Russia has been conducting a relentless air campaign since mid-October targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure with missiles and drones, leaving millions of people without electricity, heat or water..

Budanov said Russian strikes were likely to continue, but suggested that Russia would not be able to maintain the level of attacks due to declining missile stockpiles and the inability of Russian industry to replenish them..

While Iran has provided most of the drones used in Russian attacks, the Ukrainian intelligence chief said Tehran is refusing to supply missiles to Russia for the time being, realizing Western countries are likely to take action against Iran, already under devastating sanctions over its nuclear program..

The war may have reached a stalemate, but Budanov is convinced that Ukraine will eventually regain all of the territory now under temporary occupation, including Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014.. It envisions a return of Ukraine to the 1991 borders, when independence was proclaimed after the collapse of the Soviet Union..

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Earlier, Budanov said that Russia had reached a dead end at the front and he did not expect fundamental changes in its favor in winter.. He noted that the situation will not change even if the invaders’ units are replenished with mobilized ones and combat coordination takes place..

Budanov believes that the Russians will try to concentrate their forces north of Bakhmut and in the direction of Zaporozhye. However, he doubts that they will be able to achieve anything, as in their previous attempts to carry out local offensives..