In an interview with the BBC, Andrei Kelin said Ukraine continued to fight but claimed "the resistance is more feeble and feeble".
Russian troops, he said, were gaining more terrain every day, adding: "The end of this phase will mean the end of Ukraine." Russia is thought to control about 18% of Ukraine and has been making slow but steady advances over the past year.
Kelin also described the conflict as "a proxy war led by the United Kingdom's government", which by providing weapons is "killing Russian soldiers and civilians".
The comments came as Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, renewed his appeal to western countries for air-defence systems.
Ukraine is losing territory in its eastern Donbas region to Russia's invading forces but has yet to convince western allies to provide it with long-range missiles to strike Russian military targets.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 25, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 25, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Beauty, shock and horror
At the British Museum, Hew Locke places his work alongside art and artefacts plundered by colonisers from the peoples and cultures they destroyed
Sleep on it pon
Everyone wants a good night's rest-but the more you obsess over it, the more elusive it becomes. Anita Chaudhuri enters the nightmarish, data-driven world of orthosomnia
JOURNALIST OR RUSSIAN SPY? THE STRANGE CASE OF PABLO GONZÁLEZ
while reporting on Russia's covert operation to annex Crimea, I spotted a familiar figure. With his muscular build and shiny shaved head, Pablo González was easy to recognise from afar.
'My hero' Worldwide solidarity for Pelicot's courage
She has been hailed as a feminist hero across France, commended for her courage at rallies across the country and applauded by supporters each time she has entered or left the courtroom in the southern city of Avignon.
Revealed The international 'race science' network funded by US tech boss
Group promoting 'dangerous' scientific racism ideology teamed up with German rightwing extremist, secret recordings show
Residents count cost of a climate risk hotspot
Damage to northern region ignites debate in acountry where just 6% are insured against natural disaster
A new England The next coach is German and it really, really doesn't matter
While objectivity has never had much place in English football, Thomas Tuchel's appointment as the new national team coach represents a significant departure in two obvious ways.
Are Earth's carbon sinks collapsing?
Scientists fear that as it heats up, the planet is losing its natural ability to absorb CO2 through oceans, forests and soil
UK is waging proxy war, says Russian ambassador
Moscow's ambassador to London has said the UK is waging a proxy war against Russia while predicting the \"end of Ukraine\".
Small and lethal Adapted drones carrying explosives 'hunt' civilians
Sasha Ustenko has survived three attacks by the Russian drones that stalk the streets of Kherson carrying fragmentation grenades to drop on anything that moves.
