Ukraine has a good chance of recovering all of the territory it has lost to Russia since the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion by the end of 2023, a military expert has predicted. Former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram believes key cities including Severodonetsk, Melitopol and even Mariupol could be liberated if Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces continue to score military victories next year.
In the months which followed Putin’s invasion on February 24, Russia came close to capturing the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv – but Volodomyr Zelensky’s forces have now retaken more than half the territory seized, notably the important region of Kherson.
Mr Ingram told Sky News: “If their next counteroffensive is as successful as the two they have done already – and I see no reason why it shouldn’t be – there’s definitely a strong possibility that they have recaptured all the territory in mainland Ukraine by the end of the year.
“So I think 2023 will be a year of further Ukrainian counteroffensives and successes.
“I think at that point we will be discussing the potential of operations to recapture Crimea.”
Further Ukrainian advances would trigger dissent in Moscow, and pile pressure on Putin himself, Mr Ingram suggested.
The loss of the southern port city of Mariupol would be a particular blow, he added.
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