{"id":14020,"date":"2024-01-14T01:46:27","date_gmt":"2024-01-14T01:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/14\/ukraines-spy-chief-says-attacks-on-russian-occupied-crimea-will-escalate-in-2024\/"},"modified":"2024-01-14T01:46:27","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T01:46:27","slug":"ukraines-spy-chief-says-attacks-on-russian-occupied-crimea-will-escalate-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/14\/ukraines-spy-chief-says-attacks-on-russian-occupied-crimea-will-escalate-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine\u2019s spy chief says attacks on Russian-occupied Crimea will escalate in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"paywall has-gated-overlay gated-article-body\">\n<div class=\"article-gating gated-overlay\">\n<div class=\"article-gating-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-gating-title\">Read this article for free!<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-gating-subtitle\">Plus get unlimited access to thousands of articles, videos and more with your free account!<\/div>\n<div class=\"message error hide\"><span>Please enter a valid email address.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-gating-legal\">By entering your email, you are agreeing to Fox News Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided.\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"speakable\">Ukraine\u2019s top spy chief promised more intense offensives on Russian-occupied territory in Crimea soon, claiming that the Russian military has proved weaker than expected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">Kyrylo\u00a0Budanov, who serves as chief of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense\u2019s Main Directorate of Intelligence, said that 2024 will see much greater efforts to reclaim territory in Crimea.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018In 2023, the first Ukrainian incursions took place in temporarily occupied Crimea,\u2019 Budanov said in an interview with French outlet Le Monde. \u2018And this is just the beginning.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Budanov\u00a0acknowledged the two countries\u2019 mutual inability to make substantive land gains as both are dug into trenches on the front lines.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The very intensive use of attack drones has made both Russian and Ukrainian offensives impossible,\u2019 he said of the territorial stalemate, adding that \u2018another factor has been the density of minefields, unprecedented since World War II.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The spy chief also took a swipe at the Russian military\u2019s strength, saying that the continued struggle of the Ukrainian defending forces has shown the Russian Armed Forces to be less effective than previously believed.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A certain Russian paradox surprised me. Everyone thought that Moscow had a strong army and a weak economy. It turns out that the opposite is true,\u2019 Budanov\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<p>He continued, \u2018The economy may be weak, but the country is not starving, far from it. It could even last quite a long time at this rate.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not consider a cease-fire with Russia, claiming it would only help the invading military bolster its power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Zelenskyy made the comments during a visit to Estonia meant to raise support for continued funding of the war effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war,\u2019 Zelenskyy said.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A pause would play into [Russia\u2019s] hands,\u2019 he added. \u2018It might crush us afterward.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>This post appeared first on FOX NEWS<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read this article for free! 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