The ground battle for Kyiv must begin in the “next few days” otherwise Russia will face the prospect of a humiliating defeat in Ukraine, a leading British general has told The National.
Gen Sir Richard Barrons has been astounded by the performance of Russia’s commanders, soldiers and equipment in the war so far, following the initial “colossal strategic failure” in deciding to invade.
Another senior military figure has suggested that Ukrainian generals have available excellent intelligence, received from the West, which means they have a better understanding of Russian deployments than Moscow’s commanders.
With at least 60 Battalion Tactical Groups closing in around the Ukrainian capital alongside continuous artillery bombardment, the battlefield is set up to suggest a major attack is imminent.
“If there’s going to be battle for Kyiv, it’s got to start in the next few days, otherwise the Russians will just wear themselves out on the ground,” said Gen Barrons, former deputy chief of the defence staff.
“And if they’re going to go for it, then we would expect to see at least two axes develop along key roads where they basically pound their way towards the city centre.”
The National reported on Tuesday that Kyiv’s civic resistance leader said the attack could come only through the heavily defended approaches from the east and west because the River Dnieper, along with deliberate flooding, made the north and south impassible.
A full-scale assault would be bloody, with significant casualties among the attackers along with hundreds of civilian deaths from Russian shelling.
If it succeeded, it would be hard for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government to continue, but if it failed, “it’s game over for Russia’s political aspirations”, said Gen Barrons, 62.
“And I think the Russians are sufficiently alarmed to think can’t they afford to start this without knowing they can win it,” he said.
“Their numbers simply do not allow them to conceive how they could fight for the whole of Kyiv.”
In the 1945 siege of Berlin, the similar-sized city of 2.5 million people was surrounded by 1.5 million Russian troops who suffered 80,000 fatalities taking the German capital. About 60,000 Russian soldiers are in the Kyiv area.
The Russians were also struggling because Nato’s surveillance and eavesdropping aircraft on Ukraine’s borders were picking up significant intelligence on their intentions and movements, according to the military source, who asked to remain anonymous.
“The Ukrainian generals probably have a better knowledge of where the Russian troops are than the Russian generals,” he said. “You don’t have to fly them over Ukraine to know what’s going on the ground. A lot will be known from electronic intelligence and communications intelligence.
“Where are their modern T-90 tanks? Where are their top armour formations? Where are their drones?” he said. “What they are seeing is making Russia look very flat-footed.”
With at least 5,000 soldiers killed and more than 20,000 seriously injured, Gen Barrons suggested this must soon have a severe impact on morale as “there are not many countries that want to do war at that price”.
“The Russians massively underestimated how the Ukrainians would respond and phenomenally overestimated their own capability,” he said. “What I am surprised about is just how poor the Russian conventional army has been at every level, with a quarter of the troops being conscripts whose hearts are clearly not in this.”
Gen Barrons, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the Russians would not try “recover from their mistakes” and “sequence their battles better” by doing fewer operations at once. This would allow them to apply their core strength of “attritional firepower against the urban areas to just make the Ukrainians give up”.
The invasion force, estimated at estimated 150,000, was not “big enough or good enough” to occupy Ukraine by force “and they’re definitely not going to get occupation by consent beyond the separatist areas,” he added.
The dream of conquering all Ukraine had clearly “faded” and instead Russia would look to looking “to secure irrefutable territorial gains” that would form the basis for a ceasefire, said Gen Barrons.
The military source also suggested Russians might “freeze the conflict” if they managed to take all or parts of Kyiv, pushing Mr Zelenskyy’s government out then holding on to gains in the east and south.
Key to the invaders now was to take the port city of Mariupol, which could be “pummelled into dust” to give the invaders a contiguous line linking annexed Crimea to Russia. This would also be a major blow to the Ukrainians and would allow the Russians to concentrate on the vital port of Odesa.
It was also important that Kyiv did not leave its best fighting troops to be encircled in Donbas in the east, “but the Ukrainians are too savvy to allow that to happen,” Gen Barrons said.
Whatever the outcome, the fighting was going to cause both Ukrainians and their Slavic cousins severe hardship and pain.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson
Three stars
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
