According to the news outlet Klops.ru, citing Colonel-General Sergey Rudskoy, the first deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, the primary objectives of the initial phase of their military operation have been achieved. Rudskoy emphasized that the combat potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been significantly reduced, allowing Russian forces to focus on their main goal: the liberation of Donbas.

Rudskoy further stated that Russian forces had no initial plans to storm cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Mykolaiv, although he did not rule out the possibility in the future. Initially, Russian politicians and propagandists claimed that Kyiv would be captured within two to three days and the entire territory of Ukraine within a week. This would supposedly lead Ukraine to agree to the occupiers’ terms, including ‘demilitarization and denazification.’ However, as battles have intensified and losses have mounted, the rhetoric from Russian officials has evolved.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces have been targeting and destroying infrastructure, launching massive attacks on residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns using artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, and ballistic missiles. In response, Ukraine has declared martial law and announced a general mobilization, actively resisting the invaders.

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