The boss of the Russian mercenary Wagner group said it could take Russia two years to seize the east of Ukraine in a rare interview that suggests at least some key figures in Moscow are gearing up for a protracted conflict.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has emerged to become a high-profile figure, suggested Russia’s focus was on capturing the rest of the Donbas region it has not occupied since the war began nearly a year ago.
Doing so would take “about one and half to two more years of work”, the ally of president Vladimir Putin said. If the goal was to occupy all of the Ukrainian territory east
