ISW Reveals The Kremlin's True Goals
- 7.09.2026, 7:44
Putin wants more than just the Donbas.
During a meeting with special envoys from the U.S. president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to the Donbas as “the crux of the entire war,” since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has made the Donetsk and Luhansk regions the focus of his ultimatum to Ukraine. However, in reality, the Russian leader’s demands extend beyond these two Ukrainian regions.
Putin’s other objectives become clear from his army’s actions on the front lines in Ukraine. This is discussed in a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts are certain that the Russian dictator’s demands extend beyond the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This is evidenced by his 2024 speech, which included a formal ultimatum to Ukraine—a speech that both Putin himself and Russian officials at various levels constantly refer to. Moreover, the military operations conducted by Russia indicate that Russia’s ambitions are significantly broader.
The ISW believes that some of the Russian Federation’s offensive operations, which are continuing along the entire front line, would be unnecessary if the Kremlin were seeking only to capture the entire Donetsk region.
The Russians are also conducting “large-scale offensive operations” in the north of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, which may be part of Putin’s demand to create a “buffer zone” along the Russian-Ukrainian border.
At the same time, Russian troops are simultaneously conducting offensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia region to link up with the Orekhovka and Huliaipole sectors in order to advance on the city of Zaporizhzhia, bypassing Ukrainian defensive positions in the south.
“These offensive operations are larger in scale and more costly than those that would be required simply to pull Ukrainian troops away from defending the Donbas, and they also do not directly support Russia’s efforts to capture the rest of the Donetsk Oblast. However, they pursue other objectives that Putin has clearly stated. This is precisely why they are continuing, and this is precisely why Putin is unlikely to halt hostilities, even if Russian forces manage to capture the entire Donetsk Oblast—which in itself remains unlikely,” the ISW concluded.