Vladimir Putin’s ground forces are unlikely to make operationally significant advances within the next several months, the UK defence ministry has said in its latest intelligence update.
The ministry pointed to Russian presidential spokesperson Dimitry Peskov’s rearticulation of Moscow’s main goals of the ‘special military operation’.
“He said that one of Russia’s main objectives was the ‘protection’ of residents of the Donbas and south-eastern Ukraine but claimed there was still much work to be done regarding ‘liberation’ of those territories,” the ministry noted.
The remarks suggest that “Russia’s current minimum political objectives of the war remain unchanged.”
“Russia is likely still aiming to extend control over all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. Russian military planners likely still aim to prioritise advancing deeper into Donetsk oblast,” the MoD noted.
It added: “However, Russia’s strategy is currently unlikely to achieve its objectives: it is highly unlikely that the Russian military is currently able to generate an effective striking force capable of retaking these areas.”
