'Not my field': Ukraine's Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief on BILD's report about Russia's plans
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Getty Images)
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, does not intend to comment on the German BILD publication about Russia's military plans until the end of 2026. Namely, Russia's plan to capture Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia within this period, he says in response to a question from RBC-Ukraine during a conversation with journalists.
RBC-Ukraine asks Zaluzhnyi to comment on the BILD's publication citing sources in German intelligence that Russia has a medium-term plan to seize Ukrainian territories. In particular, it allegedly plans to take control of Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia by the end of 2026.
"I would not like to characterize this process, it is not my field. There are people responsible for this, who have this information," Zaluzhnyi says.
What BILD wrote about
Last week, BILD analyst Julian Röpke, citing sources in German intelligence, spoke about Russia's medium-term plan for war until the end of 2026. According to this plan:
- by the end of 2024, the Russians intend to completely seize Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as reach the Oskil River within the Kharkiv region;
- by the end of 2026 - to capture large areas in the east, including the major cities of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Kharkiv;
- in the south, to hold the defense along the Dnipro River without attacking Kherson or Odesa.
Photo: Russian plan to capture Ukraine by the end of 2026 (bild.de)
According to a German intelligence source, over the next 36 months, the Russians plan to establish a new front line along the Dnipro River. In a comment to RBC-Ukraine, Andrii Cherniak, a representative of the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence, emphasized that the Russians had plans to seize Ukrainian cities before. And if they get a chance to occupy new ones, they will do so.
Read more in the article "No Russian 2025 war plan? Analysis of Putin's battle endurance by experts and Ukrainian Intelligence".
Earlier, Zaluzhnyi commented on the information of another German agency, Welt, that a new counteroffensive is allegedly being prepared for 2024.
