If Russia keeps up its attacks on Ukraine, it will likely take five years for its forces to "grind their way" to a minimum goal of fully capturing just four regions at a loss of up to 1.8 million soldiers, dead and wounded, the new head of the British army has said.
General Sir Roly Walker said in a long war "there are no winners. It is an utter devastation for both sides and lost generations".
Answering questions at a conference in London, the new Chief of the General Staff said that the war in Ukraine was "not going well for anyone".
But he warned that Vladimir Putin must fail or else a wider security framework that protects the Euro-Atlantic NATO alliance - the true target of his aggression - would be at risk.