Russia wants to occupy entire Donetsk region by end of March and open path to Zaporizhzhia – Palisa
Russian troops intend to seize the entire Donetsk region by the end of March 2026 and then advance to occupy other regions.
This was stated by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa in an interview with We – Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
Russia preparing new offensive – Kremlin’s plans
According to him, the enemy plans to reach the administrative borders of the Donetsk region no later than early April.
"The enemy also plans to advance as far as possible in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. In addition, it does not abandon its intention to create a buffer zone along the border in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions," Palisa noted.
- According to him, if successful, by the end of the year the Russian army will attempt to press the offensive to seize, or create conditions for the seizure of, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv and subsequently Odesa.
At the same time, as of now Palisa does not see the enemy having the capability to implement these plans in the next six months.
Security guarantees: the best one is the strong Armed Forces
In his view, the foremost security guarantee is capable Defense Forces that would erase even the thought of new aggression by Russia.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President said this refers to a military of "high capability and rapid response."
"This is the primary and greatest security guarantee. And for Ukraine to feel confident in the future, we need to move toward an institutionally strong state with a united society, a strong economy and highly capable Defense Forces," Palisa added.
