Putin will not limit himself to Donbas, while demands for its handover are merely part of the pressure on Ukraine — political scientist Chalenko

Russia is not limiting its territorial claims to the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, while demands for the withdrawal of the Defense Forces of Ukraine from Donbas are part of the pressure on Kyiv. Political scientist and head of the Center for Analysis and Strategies Ihor Chalenko said this in a comment to OstroV.

“This is a certain narrative invented by russia for the U.S. and our Western partners to portray Ukraine in an unfavorable light. We understand that, in reality, russia’s plans for an offensive extend far beyond Donbas”, - Chalenko said.

The political scientist recalled that after the start of the full-scale invasion, the kremlin consistently expanded its demands and territorial claims. At the same time, russia incorporated not only the Donetsk and Luhansk, but also Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts into its Constitution.

“We must remember how the so-called ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine began. First, russia claimed that Ukraine allegedly was not fulfilling the Minsk agreements, then came the recognition of the independence of the so-called ‘LNR’ and ‘DNR’, followed by their incorporation into russia. If it were actually possible to politically end the ‘SMO’ and present a concept of victory based on the seizure of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, it might look logical. But russia itself also incorporated the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts into its constitution. And given the russians’ plans to continue expanding the case of buffer zones, it is obvious that their territorial appetites do not end there”, - he noted.

According to Chalenko, the situation in other areas also attests to this, in particular the potential threat of an offensive from the Bryansk oblast toward the Chernihiv oblast and the escalation near Zaporizhzhia.

“All this shows that the russians will not limit themselves to Donbas. Even if they take control of the entire territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in one way or another, they obviously will not stop and will essentially prepare further offensive actions to seize more and more Ukrainian regions”, - the political scientist concluded.

At the same time, Chalenko drew attention to the fact that, in parallel with pressure on russia to end the war, pressure on Ukraine is also increasing. In particular, reports are being spread about the possible withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from part of Donbas.

“Alongside this, I would note that, in addition to the attempt to somehow increase pressure and persuade russia, pressure is also being exerted on Ukraine. This is the classic case of Ukraine withdrawing from the territory of Donbas, which is essentially being actively promoted now, in particular as a consequence of the conversation between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. Pay attention to how this is emphasized and what message is being promoted: they discussed specifically the 28-point plan, the first message of which is that Ukraine should withdraw from the territory of the Donetsk oblast”, - he added.