Russia is struggling to cope with “multiple threats” on the battlefield as Ukraine’s counter-offensive gathers pace, according to UK intelligence.
The Kremlin is already reeling from the aborted coup attempt by the mercenary Wagner Group at the weekend.
But in their latest update on the progress of the war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Kyiv “has gained impetus in its assaults” around the key town of Bakhmut.
“In a multi-brigade operation, Ukrainian forces have made progress on both the northern and southern flanks of the town,” the MoD said.
In addition, UK officials said this is “little evidence that Russia maintains any significant ground forces operational level reserves which could be used to reinforce against the multiple threats it is now facing”.
The British analysis is a further blow to Vladimir Putin after a weekend in which his authority was severely weakened by the Wagner Group’s actions.
Months of tension between Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and his former ally Putin came to a head on Friday night.
Prigozhin accused Moscow of killing 2,000 of his men and warned that those responsible would be “punished”.
In a televised address on Russian TV this morning, Putin accused the Wagner Group of “a stab in the back” after they had initially fought alongside his troops in Ukraine.
He said: “Russia will defend itself and repel this move. We are fighting for the life and security of our citizens.”
However, a deal was brokered on Saturday night which saw Prigozhin call off his assault on Moscow and reportedly agree to live in neighbouring Belarus.
However, neither he nor Putin have been seen in public since then, leading to intense speculation about the nature of their agreement.