Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Western "Ukraine fatigue" encourages Russia to continue its full-scale invasion and pursue its theory of victory based on the belief that Russia will outlast Western support for Kiev. Thus, once again, the strong man in the Kremlin confirmed that he is pursuing his main goal of erasing the Ukrainian statehood and nation from the world map.
This is stated in the daily analysis of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), cited by news.bg.
Putin added that the West is "beginning to realistically assess the situation around Ukraine" and "changing his rhetoric" on the need for a "strategic defeat of Russia" and that Russia can only praise the West for this change in rhetoric, which is not aimed at the complete defeat of Russia in Ukraine.
Later in the interview, Putin said that any outcome of Russia's war in Ukraine must be in Russia's favor and based on "battlefield realities," indicating that Russia remains committed to its original goal to force the Ukrainian government to capitulate and destroy Ukraine's statehood and military, and that Western hesitancy in supporting Ukraine only furthers Russia's commitment to that goal.
ISW continues to appreciate that Putin's theory of victory rests on the crucial assumption that the West will abandon Ukraine in the face of a Russian victory, either of its own accord or in response to Russian efforts to persuade the West to do so.
Putin also continues to exaggerate Russian advances in Kursk Oblast, possibly in an attempt to reassure domestic audiences of the Russian military's ability to suppress Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast.
According to ISW, Vladimir Putin and Russian military spokespeople are exaggerating both the progress and successes of the response to Russian formations in the Kursk region and the Ukrainian losses.
The ISW analysis echoes Putin's words about the encirclement and blockade of 2 Ukrainian troops in the area, amid calls from other spokespeople for penetration of "Russian troops into some Ukrainian positions".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia would immediately deploy North Korean forces to unspecified combat zones on October 27 and 28, as Russian and North Korean officials continued to make vague but suggestive statements about the possible presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
A spokesman for a Ukrainian air assault brigade operating in the direction of Kursk said that Ukrainian forces have not yet observed North Korean troops in the Kursk region, and stressed that North Korean forces lack experience in large-scale and technological warfare. The head of Ukraine's Center for Military Legal Studies, Oleksandr Mysiyenko, said on October 25 that Russia's efforts to directly involve North Korean forces in the war are ultimately indicative of Russia's inability to recruit enough personnel amid systematic but likely failed attempts to recruitment of volunteers in the country.
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, promoted the former commander of the "Sparta" battalion. of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Urals Plenipotentiary Lt. Col. Artyom Zhoga to Russia's Security Council, possibly as part of ongoing efforts to entrench younger, pro-military figures in the Kremlin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was not trying to "influence" in the elections in other countries "unlike the West" amid continuing evidence to the contrary. Peskov again rejected all evidence of Russian interference and influence in both Moldova and Georgia.
On October 21, Sandu said that the Moldovan authorities had evidence that criminal groups wanted to buy 300,000 votes of Moldovans against the referendum on Moldova's membership in the European Union (EU) and against Sandu herself in favor of pro-Russian candidates for president. Parliamentary elections in Georgia will be held on October 26, and Russian officials and military bloggers have launched information operations presenting the "Georgian Dream" as a stable choice for the future of Georgia and openly discredit pro-Western opposition parties while suggesting that the victory of the "Georgian Dream" could lead to territorial reconciliation, including potential compromises regarding the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia has a rich history of trying to sway elections in post-Soviet states in its favor through war, economic pressure, political threats, information operations and other forms of interference.
However, Peskov said that everyone in Russia will support the candidacy of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in January 2025, even though the election is an "internal matter". At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman repeated the thesis that the West had interfered in the presidential elections in Belarus in 2020, interpreting the opposition's protests as such interference. However, the confidence is that Belarus has learned from its previous experience.
Russian authorities responded quickly to the xenophobic riots in Korkino, Chelyabinsk Region, on October 25, a significant change from the slow and disorganized response of Russian authorities to anti-Semitic riots in the Republic of Dagestan in October 2023. The head of the Investigative Committee of Russia's Alexander Bastrykin has ordered a federal investigation into the killing of a taxi driver, believed to be by a member of the local Roma community in Korkino, and the ensuing riots in which about 150 people attacked several homes in the Gypsy ghetto. Russian authorities say they quickly quelled the riot, detaining 30 people and blocking a Telegram channel accused of encouraging local residents to join the rebellion.
Russian authorities are constantly struggling to balance between calming xenophobic sentiments among Russian ultranationalists and Russian communities and maintaining Russia's economic and internal security, especially given Russia's dependence on migrants and non-ethnic Russian communities for economic growth and generation of workforce.
The Kremlin continues to create new state-affiliated societies and veterans' organizations, possibly as part of ongoing efforts to replace veterans' organizations that have been critical of Russia's conduct of the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces advanced near Borki and regained the lost territories near Chasov Yar and Toretsk.
Russian forces advanced near Siversk, Pokrovsk and regained the territory near Obukhovka.
On October 24, German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall announced that it had recently delivered 20 more Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, and noted that Germany financed the delivery of the machines.