The Kremlin continues to demonstrate its commitment to continuing the war, thereby denying Ukraine the truce necessary to hold elections. This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UНН reports.
Details
Analysts point to a statement by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev that Russian forces on the battlefield and ballistic weapons are the only tools bringing Russia closer to victory in Ukraine.
Over the past week (between October 4 and 11), Russian strikes killed more than 150 civilians, and Medvedev's statement demonstrates that Russia views victory in Ukraine through the prism of inflicting maximum damage on Ukraine's strategic rear in order to force Ukraine to capitulate to Russia's demands
It is noted that statements by Russian officials regarding negotiations and elections are appearing at a time when Ukraine has significant momentum on the battlefield and are likely intended to undermine Western support for Ukraine, which contributed to Ukraine's recent military successes.
The Kremlin likely assesses that Russian forces will be able to regain lost momentum on the battlefield after Ukraine's recent counterattacks and continue the war if they manage to persuade Western states to stop supporting Ukraine. The temporary suspension of the US exchange of intelligence in March 2025 allowed Russia to advance, particularly in Kursk Oblast, and Moscow is likely seeking another halt to the exchange of critical US intelligence
They add that, in this way, the Kremlin is attempting to perpetuate the false narrative that Ukraine is an obstacle to peace, shifting onto Ukraine Russia's responsibility for undermining good-faith negotiations, insisting on its maximalist demands, and refusing compromises.
"Russia is deliberately using Ukraine's constitutional inability to hold elections because of Russia's war to manipulate the negotiation process and prolong the war. Russia could allow Ukraine to hold elections at any time by agreeing to a ceasefire, which the United States and Ukraine have repeatedly proposed," the analysts conclude.
It should be recalled
The day before President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he was ready to organize elections in the country if Russia agreed to a complete ceasefire lasting at least 60 days.