Putin has postponed the deadline for the complete takeover of Donetsk Oblast for the 16th time
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has postponed the deadline for the complete capture of the Donetsk region for the 16th time since the start of the full-scale invasion. Currently, the Kremlin expects to achieve this goal within the next six months—roughly by the end of February 2027—although at the current rate of advance, Russian forces will need another six years or so.
The Russian military command has repeatedly promised the dictator that this goal would be achieved much sooner. In August 2025, Putin was briefed on a possible “collapse” of the Ukrainian front by fall, and in the spring and summer of 2026, the deadlines were successively pushed back to fall and the end of the year. At the same time, Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, noted that the Russian military had tried to convince Putin to push back the deadline to the end of March 2027, while the political leadership is demanding that the process be accelerated.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the occupying forces currently control nearly 80% of the territory of Donetsk Oblast, which amounts to 21,170 square kilometers. In August, the Russian army advanced an average of 2.36 square kilometers per day; thus, if this pace continues, Russia will be able to fully capture the region only in October 2032. Analysts believe that Putin is relying on distorted information from the command, as was the case in November 2025, when Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov falsely reported the complete capture of Kupiansk.
This was reported by The Moscow Times.
The Kremlin stated that it currently has neither a formal plan nor a “roadmap” for ending the war Russia has unleashed against Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for Ukraine to be turned into a “buffer zone” after the end of hostilities to prevent alleged threats from the West. According to him, Russia will not agree to the current Ukrainian government remaining in power after the war and will continue hostilities until the West makes concessions.
