It has been a month since Russia invaded Ukraine. The war has now entered its 31st day. With this, Russia claims to have completed the first phase of its offensive against Ukraine. According to a Russian general, Russia has successfully completed the first phase of the military campaign’s objectives. Following that, Russia will proceed to the second stage.
During a press conference on Friday, Colonel Sergei Rudskoy, Russia’s first deputy chief of the General Staff, stated that “in general, we have completed the first phase of the military operation.” The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ capabilities have deteriorated dramatically during this time. As a result, we will now concentrate on achieving our primary objective (complete control over Donbass). In fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that the war in Ukraine is going according to plan.
Was Russia compelled to alter its strategy?
Russia’s statement comes as the country’s military operations in Kyiv and Kharkiv have been scaled back. This occurred at a time when there were reports of many Russian soldiers being killed in the war. According to a report, Russia’s air strikes in Ukraine have been largely ineffective. During the briefing, Russian general Rudskoy stated that 1351 Russian soldiers had been killed thus far. NATO and Ukraine, on the other hand, claim that over 15,000 Russian soldiers have died so far.
Russia will destabilise Ukraine once more.
Russia is preparing to split Ukraine in half again. Russia is preparing to take full control of Ukraine’s Donbass, following the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The Russian general has stated the same thing. People are wondering what we’re doing in different parts of Ukraine, according to Rudskoy, but we’re doing it to harm their military infrastructure and resources. With this, we will be able to fight the war in Donbass more effectively.
Russia will now move forward with its real strategy.
President Vladimir Putin declared Donetsk and Luhansk independent states before invading Ukraine. These are, in fact, the areas where separatists live and support Russia. In the second phase, Russia will intensify its military campaign to isolate the entire Donbass from Ukraine.
