Europe theme
Have the Russian analysts interpreted Western media reporting and made the assessment that liberalization has weakened their eastern defense lines to Russia's advantage?
At least six dead in Russian daytime attack. The massive airstrike against Ukraine has led to at least six deaths, reports President Volodymyr Zelensky according to Reuters.
The attack is described as one of the longest and most extensive airstrikes since the beginning of the war. See the report on SVT Nyheter.
Sources: Putin has been promised all of Donetsk by autumn. Russian commanders are said to have convinced President Vladimir Putin that it is possible to take the entire Donetsk region already by autumn, according to two Kremlin sources with insight shared with the Financial Times, which has also seen a Ukrainian intelligence analysis.
This contradicts analyses made in the West. ISW wrote most recently in December that Russia is unlikely to succeed in pushing Ukrainians out of Donetsk before 2027 or 2028, something that would require massive resources.
Ukraine, which still holds about 20 percent of the region, controls the four larger towns of Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, which together are called Ukraine's "fortress belt." See the article on SVT Nyheter.