ISW Reveals The Kremlin's True Goals

Putin wants more than just the Donbas.

During a meeting with special envoys of the U.S. president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Donbas “the crux of the entire war,” since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has placed the Donetsk and Luhansk regions at the center of his ultimatums to Ukraine. However, in reality, the Russian leader’s demands extend beyond these two Ukrainian regions.

Putin’s other objectives become clear from the actions of his army on the front lines in Ukraine. This is discussed in a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts are certain that the Russian dictator’s demands extend beyond the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This is evidenced by his 2024 speech, which included a formal ultimatum to Ukraine—a speech that both Putin himself and Russian officials at various levels constantly cite. Moreover, the military operations conducted by the Russian Federation indicate that Russia’s ambitions are significantly broader.

The ISW believes that some of the Russian Federation’s offensive operations, which are continuing along the entire front line, would be unnecessary if the Kremlin were seeking only to capture the entire Donetsk region.

The Russians are also conducting “large-scale offensive operations” in the north of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, which may be part of Putin’s demand to create a “buffer zone” along the Russian-Ukrainian border.

At the same time, Russian troops are simultaneously conducting offensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia region to link up with the Orekhov and Huliaipole sectors in order to advance on the city of Zaporizhzhia, bypassing Ukrainian defensive positions in the south.

“These offensive operations are larger in scale and more costly than those that would be required simply to draw Ukrainian forces away from defending the Donbas, and they also do not directly support Russia’s efforts to capture the rest of the Donetsk region. However, they pursue other objectives clearly stated by Putin. This is precisely why they are continuing, and this is precisely why Putin is unlikely to halt hostilities, even if Russian forces manage to capture the entire Donetsk Oblast—which in itself remains unlikely,” the ISW concluded.

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