LONDON: Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted that his military can fight in Ukraine for a long time, but troops will not be called in for a second time for the time being.

"It could be a long process," Putin said in a televised meeting with supporters on Wednesday. They rarely discussed the likely length of the war they had started more than nine months earlier.

In response to Ukrainian counter-offensives in the east and south, armed with increasing amounts of Western weapons since July, Russia has been forced to make several significant retreats.

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In February, Russia launched what it referred to as its "special military operation", claiming that Ukraine's growing ties to the West posed a security threat. According to Kiev and its allies, the invasion resembles an imperialist land grab.

In the latest in a series of warnings that appeared intended to discourage Kiev's Western backers from more robust involvement, Putin said his comments were making a nuclear war more likely, but added that Russia was carelessly Will not threaten to use such weapons.

Putin said, we understand what nuclear weapons are, so we have not gone mad. "Unlike any other nuclear country, we have these means in a more sophisticated and contemporary form. But we are not going to start showing this weapon like a razor in public."

Of the 300,000 reservists activated in September and October, about 150,000 were sent to Ukraine, the official said, with 77,000 serving in combat units. 150,000 people were still enrolled in training facilities.

According to Putin, in these circumstances there is no point in talking about any additional mobilization measures.

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According to the central bank, Russia's economy has recovered from the temporary slowdown brought on by the partial mobilization order, but the deflationary effects caused by the slump in consumer demand have almost disappeared.

Putin has said he has no regrets about starting a war that is Europe's most devastating since World War II, despite recent battlefield retreats that included the loss of Kherson, a provincial capital of Ukraine. Including, which was occupied by Russia.

He claimed that Russia's annexation of four partially occupied territories in September, which was declared illegal by Ukraine and most UN members, had already achieved "significant results".

According to Volodymyr Kudritsky, head of the Ukrainergo grid operator, the Russian military has fired more than 1,000 rockets and missiles at Ukraine's electrical grid, which has caused significant damage but is still operational. This information was provided by Interfax Ukraine.

Recent Russian airstrikes on critical infrastructure in eight waves have severely damaged the grid and caused unplanned and emergency blackouts across the country, including Kiev, Ukraine's capital and largest city with three million residents. also includes.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of an "apocalyptic" scenario this winter without electricity, water or heat if Russian airstrikes on infrastructure continue. Although they should be prepared to do so, he said there is no immediate need to evacuate residents.

In an interview with Reuters, Klitschko said that Kiev could be without central heating at a time when temperatures could drop as low as −15 °C (5 °F).

In response to what it described as a terrorist threat, Russia's ally Belarus announced it was moving troops and military equipment. The announcement comes amid signs that Moscow could pressure Minsk to open a new front in Ukraine as the war continues.

Despite relying on the Russian military to crush a popular uprising two years ago, President Alexander Lukashenko has so far refrained from sending his troops into the conflict in Ukraine.

On Saturday, Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu unexpectedly arrived in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to sign an amendment to the two countries' security cooperation agreement. The new terms were not made public.

The Belarusian Security Council announced on Wednesday that over the next two days, troops and equipment would move into the country and training with simulated weapons would take place, according to state news agency Belta.

There was no mention of how many troops or what kind of equipment would be carried.

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According to Ukraine, thousands of Russian troops have been stationed in Belarus since October, and the government of Belarus has been warning more frequently about the threat of "terrorism" posed by partisans operating across the border. By the end of the year, Lukashenko's army is to draw up a list of reservists.