Russia will not capture the entire Donetsk region by the end of 2025: ISW forecast
Kyiv • UNN
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War predict that Russia will not be able to capture the entire Donetsk region by the end of 2025. This confirms the statement by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, about the unrealistic nature of such Kremlin plans.
Russians will not be able to capture the entire Donetsk region of Ukraine by the end of 2025. This forecast was given by analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
They pointed to the words of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, who stated that the Kremlin's goal of capturing the entire Donetsk region by the end of 2025 is "unrealistic."
Russia's efforts to seize Donetsk Oblast, enter Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and create a 10-kilometer buffer zone will likely exacerbate existing constraints on Russian forces, further weakening Russian southern and central force groupings that have been fighting almost continuously in Donetsk Oblast since October 2023
ISW states that Russian forces are suffering very heavy losses in exchange for disproportionately small gains in achieving their political and territorial ambitions.
"It remains unclear on what basis the Russian military command believed it would be able to seize the rest of Donetsk Oblast by September 2025," the analysts conclude.
Recall
The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that a truce in Ukraine could be reached long before the end of the year, and a ceasefire – in the coming months.