The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate chief, General Kyrylo Budanov, says Russia has no resources to wage a protracted war except human ones. 

“He [Putin] does not have resources. Apart from human resource, he no longer has any resources: there is no economy, there is also no military industry resource, and the military reserves have already been exhausted. There is a human [resource], those who say that they have many fallen, they do not think that they have a lot of human material. But this is the only thing they have in sufficient quantity,” Budanov said in an interview with RFE/RL’s Crimea.Realities project, according to Ukriform.

According to Budanov, Russia would not have tried to purchase ammunition and weapons from North Korea, Iran, Cuba, or Africa, if it had no problems with its own military-industrial complex. Since in recent years Russia was among the leading arms and ammunition exporters, it is not surprising now that it has already exhausted its resources during the full-scale war.

At the same time, Budanov noted, the Russians could hold the defense for a long time with the current resources if they did not take active actions.

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