Putin 'runs a meat grinder efficiently': UK says more than 188,000 Russian soldiers died or injured in war

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine draws to a close on February 24, Britain's Defense Secretary says the conflict could last another year.

What happened: British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace in an interview with LBC denounced Putin's "catastrophic miscalculation"

"I think we will. I think Russia has shown total disregard, not only for the lives of the Ukrainian people, but also for the lives of its own soldiers. We have been sitting here for 12 months and 188,000, in fact more now, Russian soldiers have died or been injured as a result of this catastrophic miscalculation and assault by President Putin,” Wallace said.

See also: Biden says Putin isn't 'thinking about using nukes' in Ukraine: 'No proof of that'

"When someone has crossed the line and thinks it's okay to do this to your own people, effectively running a meat grinder for an army, I think they not going to stop," Wallace added.

The UK Ministry of Defense in an intelligence update also warned that "there is a realistic possibility that Russia is preparing for another offensive effort" in the city of Vuhledar, in the south of Donetsk Oblast - despite costly failed attacks recently.

He also said that after heavy criticism from the Russian nationalist community, the commander of Russia's Eastern Group of Forces was likely to come under intense pressure to improve results in Vuhledar.

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