US official warns of ‘protracted’ war as Russia shifts aim

NSA Jake Sullivan says Moscow is expected to send thousands of soldiers to east and south

White House NSA Jake Sullivan has warned of a “protracted” conflict as Russia revises its war aims and reroutes tens of thousands of troops from across Ukraine to the eastern and southern regions, Qazet.az reports. 

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Sullivan said Russia is expected to focus on the broader Luhansk and Donetsk regions, with the aim to “encompass more significantly more territory than Russian proxies already controlled” prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

In the south, he said Russia will likely posture its forces to maintain control of Kherson, which will “enable their control of the water flow” to Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. They will also seek to block Ukrainian forces from Mykolaiv, a city en route to Kherson that has become a key battleground in the fighting.

While the shifting priorities are seeing Russian troops withdrawing from other parts of the country, particularly from the region surrounding the capital, Kyiv, he said “the next stage of this conflict may very well be protracted