Ukraine will launch a new counter-offensive in the spring, its army spy chief has suggested.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of the HUR military intelligence agency, said on Tuesday night that Russia’s current offensive would be “completely exhausted” by “early spring”.

“We make a move, the enemy makes a move,” he said. “Now is the enemy’s turn. It will end, and then ours will start.”

Mr Budanov added that Russia’s ongoing offensive had planned to conquer the remaining unoccupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk but that it was “not even close” to achieving those objectives.

The spy chief has been tipped in recent days to succeed Gen Valery Zaluzhny as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces.

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