Russia has embarked on a deadly war of attrition after failing to meet its initial objectives in Ukraine, Britain’s chief of defence intelligence has warned. Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull said the “reckless and indiscriminate” use of firepower by Russian forces would inevitably lead to more civilian casualties. “The Kremlin has so far failed to achieve its original objectives. It has been surprised by the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian resistance and has been bedevilled by problems of its own making,” he said in a statement. “Russian operations have changed. Russia is now pursuing a strategy of attrition. This will involve the reckless and indiscriminate use of firepower. “This will result in increased civilian casualties, disruption of Ukrainian infrastructure, and intensify the humanitarian crisis.” At the same time, Hockenhull said that President Vladimir Putin is tightening his control over Russia’s domestic media in an attempt to hide the problems he …