Vladimir Putin may be looking to double or even treble the number of Russian forces in the Donbas region as he plots the next phase of his assault on Ukraine, according to Western officials.
Russian troops are regrouping in eastern Ukraine after they were driven out of Kyiv and Moscow could look to add to the forces - but officials say that could take Moscow "considerable time".
One official told reporters on Monday: “I would imagine that, at outside estimates, what you’re looking at is a force which is probably the Russians looking to double or even treble the amount of force that they bring into that Donbas area.
“But I would note that that is going to take some considerable time to bring them up to that sort of number."
It came as Western officials warned Russian soldiers had become “desensitised” to the horrors of war in Ukraine.
Demoralised Kremlin troops have continued their retreat from key battle zones as they prepare for a “fresh assault” on the east of the country, including the Donbas region where fighting has raged since 2014, they said.
Sources also believed Boris Johnson ’s weekend trip to the capital Kyiv should pave the way for similar visits by alliance leaders.
But they renewed fears that Vladimir Putin ’s forces were regrouping for a fresh assault on eastern parts of Ukraine.
One said: “The execution of the Russian plan has been a failure at this point and they are having to readjust and recock.
“The strategy has obviously been adjusted and diminished considerably from where they started off, and that is an enormous achievement on behalf of the Ukrainian fighters and their government.
“It’s also symptomatic of a poorly-led, ill-disciplined and frustrated set of Russian forces who have sustained extremely high casualties and are becoming increasingly difficult to lead and ineffective.
“Unfortunately, they are also becoming increasingly desensitised in the course of this conflict.
“The Russian way of urban warfare was never pretty and we are seeing that in degrading and revolting and barbaric detail at the moment.
“These indiscriminate attacks - the targeting of civilians, alleged war crimes - have shocked and horrified us all.”
The official said the Russians’ focus had shifted to the south east, where they hold Crimea and hope to regroup in consolidating in Donetsk and Luhansk.
They warned: “That will mean that the Russians are going to have to re-equip and refurbish their units, incorporate fresh personnel and generally organise themselves to make their fresh attack.”
The official said Mr Johnson’s trip to the capital to meet President Volodymyr Zelesnky demonstrated the West’s backing for Kyiv - and proved the city was safe enough for other leaders to visit.
“The Prime Minister’s trip over the weekend was a very important emblem of that support and now that Kyiv hopefully is secure from capture by the Russians we will begin to see more Western leaders and personnel on the ground there as well,” they added.
