[58728] FT Reports: Putin Plans New Territorial Demands Including Kyiv and Odesa After Capturing the Donbas

Russian Plans After the Donbas: Ambitions for Control Over Kyiv and Odesa

A comprehensive report based on sources in the Financial Times is causing waves in Ukrainian media, suggesting that Russia's leadership, headed by Vladimir Putin, is developing plans to present new territorial demands. According to Труха⚡️Україна and Times of Ukraine, the Russian military command has convinced Putin that its army is capable of completing the conquest of the Donbas region by this coming autumn, which would allow the Kremlin to set far-reaching conditions in future talks.

The reports, echoed on channels such as Реальна Війна, Мій Київ, and Український Наступ, indicate that Putin's true strategic goals are not limited to eastern Ukraine. According to the sources, the overarching goals include control over Kyiv, Odesa, and the entire left bank of the country. Polonsky news, which adopts a line sharply critical of Russian policy, notes that these are "delusions regarding the collapse of the Ukrainian front" on the part of the Kremlin.

Conversely, sources in Ukraine emphasize that the situation on the ground provides a different picture. The UA Stream channel reports that Putin's attempts to shift rhetoric toward the West indicate that the Russian system is "beginning to crumble" under the pressures of the war, military exhaustion, and the success of Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian rear.

Despite Russian ambition as described in the FT, political figures in Ukraine cited by Polonsky news emphasize that "the Ukrainian leadership sees no chance for negotiations," as diplomatic contacts have been frozen since last winter. The consensus in the Ukrainian media reporting on the subject is that Putin continues to gamble on a full military solution, despite the logistical and strategic difficulties his army faces on the battlefield.