Against the background of peace negotiations, Russia is increasing its offensive on the fronts and launching massive strikes on Ukrainian cities. Russia is advancing at the fastest pace since November 2024 this month. Most of the newly captured territories are in the Donetsk region, where Russian troops managed to break through the defense between Pokrovsk and Toretsk. This is reported by UNN with reference to the NewYork Times.
According to the publication, Russia seems to have launched a new summer offensive in Ukraine. Despite the fact that Russian officials declare their readiness for direct peace talks with Kyiv, the Russian army is actively attacking on the front and shelling Ukrainian cities.
After months of gradual advancement, this year Russian troops are moving faster than ever since the beginning of the war, the publication says.
Analysts say that these attacks are coordinated and planned, and are aimed at achieving a military breakthrough, even against the background of diplomatic efforts.
In particular, in the Donbass, Russian troops are trying to break through the Ukrainian defense. At the same time, the Russian Federation is conducting combined drone and missile strikes on civilian objects, depleting Ukrainian air defense and destroying industry.
The Kremlin traditionally keeps silent about the beginning of the offensive: Putin only stated that Russian troops are creating a "buffer zone", and the conflict itself will allegedly end only after Moscow eliminates the "root causes" of the war - demands that the entire civilized world perceives as an attempt to enslave Ukraine.
Why the Kremlin combines the offensive with negotiations
The publication notes that it is currently unclear how the Kremlin plans to combine its offensive with diplomatic negotiations. It also remains open whether President Trump will carry out his threats and try to force Putin to agree to a ceasefire.
Western experts suggest that Putin seeks to use the favorable season for the offensive to strengthen his position before the next round of negotiations.
According to Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at RAND Corporation, it is quite common for Russia to combine military pressure with diplomatic talks. This approach allows the Kremlin to negotiate only when the conditions are most favorable for it.
However, despite the intensification of hostilities, Charap does not believe that a diplomatic breakthrough is possible in the near future - the positions of the parties differ too much. At the same time, he notes that the aggravation on the battlefield does not completely exclude the prospect of agreements in the future.
However, many Ukrainian and European analysts are convinced that the Kremlin is not serious about peace initiatives. They believe that Moscow is not trying to prepare the ground for negotiations, but rather wants to achieve military success.
The new Russian offensive is the beginning of a major campaign
Some Russian opposition observers warn that the new offensive may turn against Russia itself. They believe that the Russian army, exhausted by sanctions and lack of resources, is unlikely to be able to maintain its achievements for long.
Despite this, recent weeks have shown that Russian troops are on the offensive. According to the Ukrainian group Deepstate, in May, the Russians doubled the area of captured territories compared to April. They managed to advance on average by 14 km every day - the fastest pace since November last year.
The main achievements of the Russians are now concentrated in the Donetsk region, where the Kremlin is trying to consolidate its positions.
This month, Russian troops broke through Ukrainian defenses between the cities of Pokrovsk and Toretsk, approaching key Ukrainian logistics hubs, the article says.
Military analyst Dmytro Kuznet believes that these actions are the beginning of a major campaign by Moscow aimed at the complete capture of the Donetsk region this year.
In addition, the Russians have intensified in the north - in the Sumy region. Most experts doubt that Russia will be able to capture all the border regions of Ukraine. At the same time, they recognize that the opening of a new front in the north draws significant Ukrainian forces, weakening the defense in the Donbass.
Let us remind you
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russian invaders are trying to accumulate at least 50,000 personnel in the Sumy direction, but they are not succeeding in the scale they want due to the operations of the Defense Forces.