Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, it has become clear to the international community that Russia has far-reaching plans for our country. But what exactly does Russia want from Ukraine?
According to information obtained by the German publication Bild from intelligence sources, Russia plans to drag out the war until at least 2026. Putin is counting on a decline in Western support for Ukraine.
The main goals pursued by Russia can be divided into several key areas:
Control over the territory. Russia aims to fully seize Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as reach the Oskol River in Kharkiv region by the end of 2024. Further plans by 2026 are to advance to the Dnipro River, taking control of a large part of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Kharkiv regions, including major cities such as Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia.
Creating a new front line. According to a Bild source, the Kremlin plans to make the Dnipro River a new front line, allowing Russia to control the entire eastern part of Ukraine to the left of the Dnipro.
According to intelligence, the Russian plan is based, in part, on the assumption that the Russian military economy will grow and become more efficient.
Putin is ready to lose up to 100,000 troops in Ukraine every year. He also expects that a president will come to power in the United States who will drastically reduce or completely stop military support for Ukraine.
In addition, according to recent intelligence, Russia sees no discrepancy between negotiations with Ukraine and further military advancement.
Kremlin’s Strategy and Tactics
Russia is not going to hold real negotiations with Ukraine, but instead is developing a new medium-term war plan. The Kremlin plans to imitate the desire for negotiations. This is reminiscent of the situation in 2015, when Russia negotiated a “peace” in Minsk, while continuing to attack strategically important positions.
Italian military expert Thomas Tyner reminded that Russia has never deviated from its original plan to take control of a large part of Ukraine.
German military expert Nico Lange is also convinced that Russia’s military goal is to advance further and capture large parts of Ukraine in the long run.
