Putin 'Still Wants Kyiv As Army Set For Winter Push

Smoke rises above Severodonetsk as Russia steps up its assault on Luhansk region

- Chris Hughes

THE Kremlin is still determined to capture Kyiv and is secretly preparing troops for a second-wave attack, it is believed.

Western and Ukrainian intelligence sources believe Russian commanders have ordered a huge retraining and recruitment drive to prepare for a winter offensive.

It is believed Vladimir Putin is determined to hit Kyiv with intense air strikes and even launch a full-on armoured and air-assault push south from neighbouring Belarus.