Russia plans to completely occupy Donetsk region in the spring of 2026, but the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, believes that this plan is unrealistic, News.bg reports.
He expressed this opinion in an interview with Channel 24, quoted by "Ukrinform".
“The Russians have set themselves the goal of completely occupying Donetsk region and want to do this so as not to reveal, as they say, state secrets, in the spring of 2026. This is unrealistic“, Budanov stressed.
According to him, in the south, Russia is trying to get closer to Zaporizhia and start artillery and drone terror to force the military command to leave the left bank and civilians to leave the city.
“This is the same tactic that was used in Pokrovsk. They did the same thing there. However, in Zaporizhia it is a little different. No matter what the media says now, and this opinion is being spread as much as possible, that the enemy is almost there, this is not so. And the defense situation there is much better than, unfortunately, in the east“, Budanov said.
Budanov commented on Russia's winter energy pressure and assessed its impact on Ukraine.