What drives Russia’s push on six frontline axes? Malomuzh points to Putin’s “negotiation” plans
Russia’s stepped-up military activity on the frontline carries a distinctly political purpose. The Kremlin is pushing to capture, or at minimum assert control over key cities in Donetsk region before peace talks reach their peak, hoping to enter negotiations from a position of force.
- Author of the publication
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Former chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Army General Mykola Malomuzh
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been issuing bold statements about imagined gains by his occupying forces, trying to convince the world that Ukraine’s defeat is a foregone conclusion. But the message masks a single goal: boosting his leverage before genuine talks with the United States begin. Former chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Army General Mykola Malomuzh, outlined how Moscow’s battlefield moves are linked to its diplomatic strategy.
He spoke about this in an interview with 24 Kanal.
A “trophy” list for negotiations
The general says the latest escalation across six operational directions is closely linked to upcoming talks. Putin aims to “close the deal” on the battlefield before diplomacy hits its peak.
In the weeks ahead, the Kremlin’s priority is to declare control over a set of strategic cities:
Pokrovsk
Myrnohrad
Kostiantynivka
Kupiansk
Vovchansk
Huliaipole.
That is why Russia is throwing everything it has into the fight, paying little attention to the scale of its losses. Malomuzh says the situation in Pokrovsk is genuinely tough, but Ukraine’s forces are still holding the northwestern sector and inflicting major losses on the occupiers.
The “Dnipro border” bluff
The general says Moscow is trying to sell Washington an illusion of its power. Russian officials are pushing the line that unless Ukraine accepts their terms now, the Russian military will supposedly reach the Dnipro and seize the entire Left Bank.
“Putin is trying to make it look real today, even though it is far from the truth. He doesn’t know what to do… he has already announced the capture of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, but it’s not actually happening,” Malomuzh stressed.
The expert points out that Putin has set deadlines for taking Pokrovsk 16 times, all of which have failed. The general believes that the repeated threats to seize territory by force show that the Kremlin lacks the resources for such ambitious plans and is trying to get its way through coercion.