The war in Ukraine could be over by Christmas.
Vladimir Putin's war could be over by Christmas
US military expert Ben Hodges, a former commander of the nation's forces in Europe, says that Russian's front line is collapsing and believes that Ukrainian troops could have pushed Vladimir Putin's forces back to where they were before invading earlier this year in time for Christmas.
He told The Times newspaper: "Based on all the things we are seeing it has the feeling of a collapse, at least in the Donbas area, and I do believe the Russians will be pushed beyond the February 23 line by the end of the year."
Hodges added that Putin's troops look like "an army that's been defeated".
The expert thinks that Crimea will be the last bastion of Russian resistance as it is where the majority of troops are concentrated.
However, Franz Stefan-Gady - a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies - believes that Ukraine's rapid advance will slow down once the punishing winter weather starts to bite.
He said: "For Ukraine it is a race against time to seize as much territory as possible before the onset of winter and before better-trained Russian reinforcements, including new units, reach the front line."