In the history of Ukraine, the year 2022, which is coming to an end, has undoubtedly become one of the most tragic and difficult.

He brought full-scale, bloody war.

More precisely, not even a year, but Putin's Russia, which has been destroying Ukraine and Ukrainians for more than 10 months in a row.

How long will this criminal war last and what will 2023 be like for Ukraine.

TSN.ua

collected forecasts of experts, as well as Ukrainian and foreign high-ranking officials and politicians regarding the development of events next year.

Optimistic forecasts from the chief scout of Ukraine

The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

Kyrylo Budanov 

was one of those who predicted Russia's war against Ukraine, the offensive on Kyiv and the liberation of Kherson.

And now he predicts that as early as May 2023, Ukraine will liberate Crimea, which is occupied by the Russian Federation.

According to him, this will happen through a combination of military force and diplomacy.

"I am not interested in listening to the opinions of some people who do not reflect the position of the Ukrainian people. I have the opposite opinion. We will return all the lost territories. Ukraine is a country recognized within the borders of 1991. Whoever does not agree with this - does not agree with the world order that has existed since the end of the Second World War and with the new principles of the UN. Crimea will be returned by a combined way: both by force and diplomacy. But without force, nothing will happen. Our units will go there with weapons in their hands," Budanov emphasized.

Moreover, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense believes that the war in Ukraine will not last for years.

It should end by the summer of 2023.

"At the end of spring, it should all be over. By summer, everything should be over," he said.

By "completion" Budanov meant the exit to the borders in 1991.

What the National Security and Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Defense say

Oleksiy Danilov

, Secretary of the NSDC

, also stated that he was positive about Budanov's prediction about the end of the war.

Commenting on the forecast of the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, that the war should end by the beginning of summer next year, Danilov said that he is positive about this forecast.

According to Danilov, he would like Budanov not to make a mistake.

"I would like it to happen earlier. But taking into account that I am a realist, I understand that we are unlikely to have such a holiday before spring-summer. But it will definitely be on our street," he said.

Also, according to the forecasts of the NSDC, in the spring of 2023, the

Armed Forces of Ukraine

will enter the occupied Luhansk, Donetsk and Sevastopol and liberate the territories.

At the same time, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine

Volodymyr Gavrylov

said in an interview with Sky News that the war with Russia may end before spring.

He is convinced that the Ukrainian troops will continue to fight in winter, using their potential, despite the harsh conditions, low temperatures and exhaustion.

Forecasts from President Zelenskyi and his Office

In turn, the President's Office has more restrained forecasts regarding the end of the war in 2023.

Thus, President

Volodymyr Zelenskyi

said that Ukraine is not interested in prolonging the war.

However, no one knows when it will end.

"

The war will end when we win

. Or when the Russian Federation wants it. It may happen that the Russian Federation will only when it feels that it is weak and isolated, and it has no partners in this matter," Zelenskyy said. .

"We will believe that it will end in the coming months," he added.

The head of the OP

Andriy Yermak

said that the war is unlikely to end in the spring of 2023.

In particular, he clarified that he is not ready to name the exact day and time when Ukraine will win over the aggressor country Russia, but it will definitely happen.

"Of course, millions of Ukrainians dream that this war will end as soon as possible. However, I will be more realistic," Yermak commented on the forecast of Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Gavrylov, who assumed that the war would end in the spring.

The war in Ukraine is unlikely to end in the next six months, the advisor of the Office of the President,

Oleksiy Arestovych

, is convinced .

In particular, he clarifies that a protracted conflict is one and a half to two years or more than a year.

We will have a year in February and, according to the OP's adviser, the war in Ukraine will be protracted.

"We understand that

the war will not end in two months.

And I strongly suspect that

it will not end for another half a year after these two months

. We have one and a half years - this can, in principle, be qualified as a protracted conflict," he said on December 17. in a conversation with the Russian oppositionist, lawyer Mark Feigin.

What they say in Europe and the USA

Yes, the

US does not expect

hostilities in Ukraine to stop in the winter months.

The White House believes that the war in Ukraine will not end until the end of this winter, but that active hostilities will continue "for some time in the future."

As John Kirby

, the coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, said

, "there is no evidence or expectation that the end of the war will come before the end of winter," because intense fighting is currently ongoing and neither side is going to retreat.

This is evidenced by the fierce battles near Bakhmut, which have been going on for the past nine months, as well as the fact that the Russians are preparing defensive positions throughout the south, while the Ukrainians continue to advance.

"There is active fighting going on right now, and we expect it to continue for some time in the future," Kirby said.

Although NATO Secretary General

Jens Stoltenberg

is the head of the military alliance.

talks about ending the war through negotiations.

Most wars end sooner or later at the negotiating table.

However, it is "inextricably linked with what happens on the battlefield," he emphasized.

However, Stoltenberg did not say whether it will happen in 2023.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia,

Edgars Rinkevičs

, believes that Russia's war against Ukraine may be protracted, its dynamics are difficult to predict, and overcoming the consequences may take a long time.

Instead, in an exclusive interview for TSN.ua, the head of the French Parliament's Committee on National Defense and Armed Forces ,

Tom Gassilhoud

, warned that Putin is preparing for a long-term war.

"Yes, we can fear that Russia will continue its military aggression against Ukraine. After the failure of his "special operation", President Putin is organizing himself for a long-term war. He is also counting on the exhaustion of Ukrainians and the "war fatigue" of Western countries," he said .

What Ukrainian and foreign experts say

The fact that 2023 will be decisive in Russia's war against Ukraine is said not only by the Ukrainian military and politicians, but also by Western experts.

Thus, the famous American political scientist, director of the Center for the Development of Democracy at Stanford University,

Francis Fukuyama

, predicted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2023 could really liberate Crimea.

He considers the liberation of Crimea in 2023 quite probable.

This will happen after the Armed Forces de-occupy Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

"Thus, they can simply cut off Crimea from the Russians and deprive them of the opportunity to supply the peninsula," the political scientist explained.

He noted that because of the strikes on the Crimean Bridge, it became more difficult for the occupiers to provide for their army.

At the same time, Fukuyama believes that Putin will not dare to use nuclear weapons.

The deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies of Great Britain,

Michael Clarke

, is sure that in 2023, the fate of Russia's spring offensive will be a key factor.

According to the expert, the continuation of the war has no scenarios until the army of mobilized Russians, which are currently being prepared for the offensive, is defeated.

"Putin has made it clear that he will not stop. And Ukraine has made it clear that it will fight for its life," Clark said.

Barbara Zanchetta

, an analyst at the Department of Military Studies at King's College London

, believes that the prospects for negotiations are bleak.

For a potential peace agreement, the basic demands of at least one side must be changed.

She is sure that the key to the end of the war may lie within Russia, since the price of the so-called "victory" for the Russian elites is too high.

"Unfortunately, it will be, as before, a protracted political, economic and military battle of determination. And until the end of 2023, it will most likely continue," the analyst clarified.

Instead, the former commander of the US Army in Europe ,

Ben Godges

, believes that

all the momentum is currently on the side of Ukraine.

She will be able to win the war already in 2023.

"Until January, Ukraine can start the final phase of the campaign to liberate Crimea," Godges said.

In his opinion,

Ukraine

will completely liberate Crimea by the end of the year

.

 "I expect that they will liberate Crimea by August," he concluded.

His colleague, former commander-in-chief of NATO forces in Europe, retired general

James Jones

, is also convinced that the war will end in 2023 with the victory of Ukraine.

Moreover, according to him, military aid is very important for Ukraine.

And

if its deliveries become faster, Ukraine in 2023 will be able to strike at much greater distances.

At the same time, Jones emphasizes that after the end of the war, Ukraine will be at the forefront of Europe's defense for a long time.

"When this war is over, we must have a plan that can help Ukraine quickly regain its potential. Ukraine, I believe, is destined to be at the forefront of Europe's defense for a long time - depending on what happens in the Russian Federation... Here are three the things that I think are extremely important: the rapid delivery of aid, the provision of humanitarian aid, and a long-term plan for the recovery of Ukraine. Once all of these become a reality, this battle will be over," Jones added.

Military expert Oleg Zhdanov

also notes that the hot phase of the war will end next year

.

He believes that the war will not end completely in the first half of 2023.

Instead, there are chances to end her hot phase.

According to Zhdanov, of course, today no one can give a 100% guarantee that this will be the case.

At the same time, the military expert added that the war can end much faster if Putin is removed from power, because the Russian elite will want to come to an agreement with the West.

However, not everyone predicts the end of the war in 2023.

Defense Express analyst

Serhii Zgurets

believes that with large reserves of military equipment, Russia may try to drag out the war.

He emphasized that the success of the offensive of the Armed Forces depends on the military assistance of the allies.

"I do not exclude the fact that hostilities can last at least 2-3 years. After all, Russia still has considerable resources in military equipment. Therefore, Russia can drag out hostilities at a lower rate of effectiveness. However, such a scenario of the development of events is not the only one. In my opinion , the next year will be quite important in this war. And for us, the success of the offensive in 2023 will depend on the help of the allies," he added.