ISW Revealed The Kremlin's True Goals

They are not limited to Donbass.

Russia's territorial and political demands extend beyond Donbass, despite the Kremlin's statements to Western audiences. This is said in a January 27 report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The analysts observe that Russian officials, particularly Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's chief negotiator, say that withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass could be "the path to peace." At the same time, other officials such as General Valery Gerasimov mention buffer zones in the Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions, suggesting broader territorial ambitions.

According to ISW, Russia is also setting political and strategic goals, including demands on NATO and Western countries.

Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, said a peaceful settlement should eliminate the "root causes" of the war.

Alexei Zhuravlev, deputy chairman of the State Duma defense committee, stressed that Donbass is not the main issue and raised the topics of NATO and "Ukrainian neo-Nazism."

ISW notes that these demands echo Russia's 2021-2022 position of limiting NATO expansion, returning it to its 1997 borders, and replacing Ukraine's democratic government with a Moscow-controlled one.

The institute's analysts draw attention to publications by Russian media and ultra-nationalist publications such as Tsargrad, which point out that even the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass would be only a temporary step before the implementation of Russia's other demands, including "denazification" and "demilitarization."

Russian officials' statements to domestic audiences confirm that Russia will not be satisfied with a limited peace settlement and seeks Ukraine's complete capitulation.

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