Ukraine will “cease to exist” as a country in 2025, a close ally of Vladimir Putin has claimed.
Nikolai Patrushev’s comments came as the UK revealed Russia is making further progress as the war approaches its third anniversary next month.
Patrushev, who is an aide to Putin and a former secretary of Russia’s security council, made the claim in an interview with the Kremlin-backing newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.
According to an intelligence update by the UK Ministry of Defence, he claimed there remained a “fraternal” bond between Russia and Ukraine.
But he repeated widely-debunked claims of the “violent enforcement of neo-Nazi ideology” and “ardent Russophobia” as justification for the war.
The MoD said: “Patrushev’s comments form part of a longstanding pattern of anti-Ukraine statements by senior Russian officials, which seek to undermine and threaten Ukrainian nationhood, identity and culture.
“This directly contradicts Russia’s recognition of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty following the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as international recognition of Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, a separate MoD intelligence update on the war said Russian forces had “applied increasing pressure” on the Ukrainian town of Velyka Novosilka, which has been on the frontline of the war since the 2022 invasion.
Russia’s advances come after it seized other towns to the wast, the MoD said.
Keir Starmer once again pledged the UK’s ongoing support for Ukraine when he visited Kyiv for the first time as prime minister last week.
He signed a “100-year partnership” to help protect the country from future Russian aggression.
Starmer also announced £40 million of UK support for Ukraine’s post-war economic recovery, which comes on top of the £12.8 billion the government has pledged in military and civilian aid since Russia’s invasion.