Putin is preparing a new winter offensive to force Ukraine to make concessions — NYP
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may be preparing a large-scale winter offensive against Ukraine in an attempt to offset military setbacks on the front lines and mounting domestic pressure within the country.
Western analysts link such plans by the Kremlin to a serious deterioration of the economic situation in Russia, a federal budget deficit, and a crisis in recruiting new soldiers for the occupying army.
The Russian military leadership seeks to use the cold season as an additional means of exerting pressure on the civilian population.
Maria Snegova, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), points out that following the failure of the spring offensive, Moscow has been unable to achieve its stated strategic objectives.
As a result, the aggressor plans to return to the tried-and-true tactic of destroying critical infrastructure.
“Putin will again wait for winter to resume large-scale strikes and create a humanitarian crisis in order to secure concessions on the Donbas issue,” the American researcher asserts.
This time, it is not only Ukraine’s energy sector that will be under threat of massive shelling.
Foreign experts predict that Russian terrorist attacks will target railway hubs and water infrastructure facilities.
Through such actions, the enemy aims to severely disrupt the Defense Forces’ logistics routes, block the supply of Western weapons, and halt food deliveries to frontline cities.
While waging military operations, the Russian government is forced to respond to the rapid collapse of the national economy.
According to official reports from the Russian Ministry of Finance, the state budget deficit for the first five months of this year reached a critical level of $81.4 billion.
This figure is nearly double the losses for the same period last year, while the Kremlin’s oil and gas revenues have fallen by a third.
The New York Post reports on this.
Putin credited the Russian military with seizing territories larger than the area of Ukraine
Putin stated that Russia is not opposed to Ukraine joining the EU
