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The last year in Ukraine has been one of terror and turmoil. So will the next 12 months be any different?  

Sky News has been speaking to a variety of experts to get their predictions on the war.  

Ed Arnold, a European security research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, thinks the “one thing of certainty” is Russia will try to gain more territory and both sides will launch offensive operations.  

However, he believes if Russia launches an unsuccessful first offensive, not only will it waste a lot of ammunition, but it will also enable Ukraine to “exploit” its mistakes in counterattacks.  

He adds that for the last several weeks, there has been a “really static frontline” but in the next few months, there could be more movement.  

“It will be about who is in a better position and that is almost certainly Ukraine,” he said, explaining this is because Zelenskyy’s troops have had more training and access to better Western weapons.  

In comparison, Russia has “thrown” troops into the conflict without any training, which will cause its forces to regress to “very simplistic offensive operations”. 

“Russia’s focus will be in the east,” he adds. “Particularly in the Donbas as Putin needs to show real political achievements. 

“They don’t have the offensive capability to push further West or into Kherson. The issue is they need synchronisation, and they don’t have the training to do that.” 

While Ukraine has more “sophisticated capabilities”, Mr Arnold says there is a chance they could be dragged into Russia’s style of warfare.  

To make sure that doesn’t happen, Kyiv’s troops will need to hold back on using tanks and infantry vehicles supplied by the West and commit them in a “decisive way”. 

“We may not see the main Ukrainian offensive in March – it might stretch into the summer, when more of these vehicles will be available,” Mr Arnold said.  

He adds Ukraine will have the military capability to take back control within the next year, but there is a risk Vladimir Putin will escalate the conflict if Crimea is targeted.  

“Crimea is the Putin red line now,” he says. “There could come a point where escalation becomes more serious.” 

He believes if Crimea is threatened by Ukraine, it is likely to be in the summer and Russian retaliation could include “hybrid attacks” such as cyber warfare, more nuclear posturing and chemical weapon threats.