Russian command convinces Putin full Donbas capture by fall — #FT

Top Russian commanders have convinced Putin that their forces can seize the entire Donbas by autumn, according to the Financial Times.

These plans were revealed by two sources in contact with Putin, two other sources familiar with the situation, and are also confirmed by an assessment from Ukrainian intelligence. Following a potential advance in Donbas, Putin plans to raise the stakes in negotiations and intensify his territorial demands on Ukraine.

Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence, told the FT last month that success in the Donbas would allow the Kremlin to make further territorial claims. Putin would then argue that Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—two regions Russia claims to have annexed in 2022, though significant parts remain under Ukrainian control—must also be handed over, Skibitskyi said.

As the FT notes, Putin has recently been increasingly focused on Donbas, although he previously suggested in private conversations that the war could be frozen along the current front lines.

One of the agency’s sources says he repeatedly urged Putin to agree to a ceasefire without new demands, but Putin refused to compromise.