Western officials say Russia can still win in Ukraine despite setbacks

LONDON (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin could still win in Ukraine despite failing in his pre-war objectives, Western officials said on Thursday, adding that Russia had addressed some of the issues that had hindered it earlier on in the invasion.

Russia invaded Ukraine two months ago, and in recent weeks has refocused on the east of the country after failing to capture the capital Kyiv.

"Putin has clearly failed in meeting his initial pre-war objectives, but is still in a position to win," one official said, on condition of anonymity.

The official said that success for Russia might be the consolidation of Russian control over the Donbas and the creation a land bridge with Crimea, and in what he termed a worst-case scenario, there could be a renewed attack on Kyiv.

The official added that despite these possible outcomes, the invasion of Ukraine would remain a strategic mistake for Russia, given the substantial losses its army has suffered, the stubborn resistance of Ukraine and the way the war has changed Europe's security architecture to Russia's detriment.

"It has been a strategic blunder for Russia," he said.

Another official said that Russia had started to address some of the issues that had hindered its army at the start of the invasion, but the way in which forces were manoeuvring, often in long columns, was still causing them problems.

"Command and control has become more effective... it's clear that they're being smarter about how they're using UAVs and integrating those into their forces as they advance, and how they're using artillery," the official said.

"We've not yet seen them improve the way in which they're manoeuvring, although when they're getting their forces into the fight, they're being a bit more joined up."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout, editing by Andy Bruce)