Russian dictator Vladimir Putin believes the Russian army can fully seize Donbas by autumn 2026. The Kremlin reportedly plans to use potential battlefield gains to strengthen its position in future talks on the war in Ukraine.
Financial Times reports this, citing sources familiar with internal discussions in the Kremlin.
Details
According to the report, Russia’s military leadership assured Putin that occupation forces could complete the capture of Donbas within the next few months. The Kremlin views these possible advances as leverage against Ukraine and the West during future negotiations.
During closed-door discussions, Putin reportedly claimed that the war was “approaching its conclusion” and that Ukrainian resistance was weakening. At the same time, sources told FT that the Russian leader has become increasingly uncompromising in his demands. He is unwilling to accept even a freeze of the frontline along the current line of contact.
Ukrainian intelligence warns that Donbas may only serve as an intermediate objective for the Kremlin. Deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR, Vadym Skibitskyi, said Moscow could later put forward additional demands regarding Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
FT also reported that the Kremlin is losing faith in negotiations mediated by the United States and is increasingly relying on military pressure instead. Sources cited by the newspaper named Odesa and even Kyiv among Russia’s potential future targets.
At the same time, Ukrainian officials interviewed by the journalists said the negotiation process had effectively reached a deadlock. Kyiv believes Washington failed to pressure Moscow into softening its demands. Ukrainian officials also said the country now feels more confident due to its ability to slow the Russian offensive and conduct drone strikes against rear military targets inside Russia.
Despite statements by Donald Trump about a possible peace deal drawing closer, FT noted that neither Kyiv nor Moscow currently shows genuine readiness for compromise.
Context
Ukraine and Russia previously agreed to a three-day ceasefire for May 9–11 through US mediation. The arrangement included a partial halt in hostilities and prisoner exchanges. However, despite the ceasefire agreement, Russia launched missile and drone strikes against Ukraine on May 9.
After the end of the “three-day ceasefire,” Russian forces carried out another massive drone attack on Ukraine. Explosions were reported in Kyiv and the surrounding region, as well as in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr regions. Russia launched more than 200 drones in total.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that Kremlin political strategists had developed a special information campaign designed to convince Russian society to view a potential peace agreement with Ukraine as a “victory” for Russia.
