Russia is no longer seeking to defeat Ukraine only at the front, but is trying to break it through massive air strikes on cities. This is the conclusion of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, quoted by UNIAN.
According to the analysis, Vladimir Putin has changed his plan for the war. In 2024, the Russian president presented a strategy based on an offensive along the entire line of contact, which should continue until the Ukrainian army is left without soldiers. However, FAZ points out that the Russian offensive has stopped, and losses continue to grow.
The publication cites an estimate by the British military, according to which Russian losses have reached about 1.5 million servicemen. Ukraine's losses are probably three to four times lower, as the attacking side usually suffers more casualties than the defending side.
Strikes on cities instead of a breakthrough on the front
The new approach, described by the FAZ as a “war of cities“, envisages systematic air strikes across the entire territory of Ukraine. The aim is to hit power plants, industrial enterprises and heating infrastructure, so that the country is put under pressure in the winter.
“Russia no longer seeks to defeat Ukraine at the front“, reads the wording quoted in the publication. In late September, Putin said that Russia's “retaliatory measures“ were so destructive that the enemy was already begging for peace.
The FAZ also points to a change in the weapons used. According to the analysis, Russian long-range drones are switching from propellers to jet engines, making them harder to intercept. The share of downed missiles has decreased from 90% earlier to 55% in September.
Pressure on Ukraine and lack of funds
According to the German publication, Russia is under pressure due to the state of its military economy and will probably try to bring Ukraine to collapse next winter. FAZ considers possible consequences to be heating cuts, the destruction of power plants and the shutdown of industrial capacity.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine's budget for 2026 is short by 24 billion euros. According to Kiev, the deficit for 2027 could reach 69 billion euros. The European Union has frozen Russian state assets worth around 210 billion euros, and the FAZ suggests that they could be used as the basis for a loan to support Ukraine.
The publication points to three measures that it believes could limit Russian pressure: more air defense systems for Ukraine, additional action against Russian revenues, and enough financial aid to prevent Moscow from bankrupting the country through bombing.
Zelensky also said that Russia could step up strikes on Kiev before the US midterm elections in early November. According to him, the goal would be to force residents to leave the capital and demonstrate that Moscow is not afraid of European countries and sanctions.
Sources: UNIAN, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung