Putin is preparing a decisive battle; his fate to remain in power depends on it.

[Starmix]

The report said that , as Russia's summer offensive unfolds, Ukrainian cities are preparing for a decisive battle. The epicenters of Russia's summer campaign are likely to be Konstantinovka and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, The Economist reports, citing Ukrainian intelligence. It is also noted that the situation is alarming in the Sumy region, where 50,000 Russian troops are concentrated and slowly advancing towards the regional center. It is noted that for the first time since the beginning of a full-scale war, the Russian Federation is achieving almost the same success in the north as in Donbas. And this is partly due to weak fortifications that are not designed for drone attacks. Ukrainian military assume that after creating a buffer zone in Sumy region, Russia will again focus on Donbas and the Zaporizhia direction, continuing the exhausting war. At the same time, the article says, the front has not undergone any strategic changes in Russia's favor in three years. Ukrainian sources say that Russian officers are calling the current offensive "the final push" to break Ukraine's will.

According to the commander of the elite Typhoon UAV unit, Mikhail Kmetyuk, Russia allows itself such operations only because it does not spare its soldiers. Eight out of ten Russian occupiers die, but the waves of mobilized soldiers do not end, because the Russian Federation recruits 10-15 thousand people per month more than Ukraine. At the same time, Russia encourages people to go to war financially, while Ukraine relies on forced mobilization. Meanwhile, The Economist writes, there is doubt that the offensive will be successful for Russia, saying that due to the specific nature of Russian fighting in small groups, their advance is slow and very costly." Their last major offensive ended in May 2022. They have not been able to take Kostiantynivka for over three years. What kind of strategy are we even talking about?" said special forces soldier and people's deputy Roman Kostenko.

The report also stated that three years and four months after the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine still believes it can hold the front. But, as the newspaper writes, the most likely outcome of the Russian offensive will be neither victory nor defeat for Russian troops, but only an opportunity for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to show the change on the map as a "success" and justification for continuing the war. His fate to remain in power depends on it. The Economist suggests that once the summer offensive runs its course, a window for diplomacy may open, but adds, "this is not guaranteed."" The problem with Russians is that they know how to tolerate losses. Our losses are smaller, but we feel them much more strongly," said Dmitry Kirdyapkin, the chief of police in Konstantinovka.


Watch the report o the YT link.