In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the conquest of the Donbass as “unconditional priority”. And Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, had reiterated today that Moscow remains committed to the goal of total conquest of the region (more on that in our news digest).
Luhansk has already taken control of Moscow, so Donetsk Oblast is the next step. However, experts assume that the Russian troops are currently taking an operational break. The British Ministry of Defense wrote in its daily situation report today that Moscow is likely to regroup its units before launching offensives in Donetsk.
The analysts at the Institute for the Study of War also assume that the troops will gather again. One indication they see is that Moscow has not announced any territorial gains for the first time since the beginning of the war.
“Russian forces are likely to confine themselves to relatively small offensive actions” while they mobilize, it said.
The British Ministry of Defense, in turn, assumes that Moscow will concentrate its forces in the direction of the city of Siversk after the break – or that it will try to advance to the urban areas of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
1.Ammunition depots on fire: A US rocket launcher wreaks havoc among Putin’s troops
The United States has delivered a total of four state-of-the-art Himars multiple rocket launchers to Kyiv. Their influence on the war is enormous.
2. Bombed supply chains, holes in the state budget: How Ukraine keeps its economy alive despite the war
Trade turnover in Ukraine fell by 75 percent. But companies are adapting. This is vital for the state.
3. Ukrainian cultural figures report: “Show what this war means”
What is the day-to-day work of Ukrainians who work in the cultural sector like? Here four of them give an insight.
4. Putin confidante threatens USA: “Alaska belongs to us!” – Billboards erected in Siberia
In Russia, rhetoric towards the West continues to escalate. Even a US state is now being used for propaganda purposes.
5. Scandal surrounding the G20 meeting in Bali: “Lavrov knows that the majority of the world’s population is not against Russia”
Lavrov refuses to listen to Baerbock’s speech. According to the CDU foreign policy expert Kiesewetter, this is a gesture of power on the part of the Russian foreign minister.
