Russia-Ukraine war could enter new phase by November: Why Moscow under pressure
Photo: What will force Putin to reconsider his plans? Sources reveal Russia's real dead end (Getty Images)
For the first time in years of major war, time has begun to work in Ukraine’s favor, and right now, Russia is running out of options, according to RBC-Ukraine's article.
The Russian offensive has slowed to its lowest levels in the past year. Russian losses are breaking records: every month, about 35,000 soldiers are killed or seriously wounded, and the recruitment of contract soldiers is barely filling this gap.
The cost of every kilometer of advance has risen sharply. While last fall Russia was spending 67 soldiers per square kilometer of captured territory, by April that figure had risen to 179.
"For the first time in a long while, the war's momentum has shifted in our favor," describes a source within Ukraine’s leadership speaking to RBC-Ukraine.
This is precisely why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's remarks about the possibility of ending the active phase of the war by around November, when US congressional elections take place, make sense.
Kyiv has long had the cards that Trump used to reproach Ukraine for lacking. But now the country is executing systematic maneuvers that are driving Russia into a corner.
What drives Russia into corner
According to informed sources cited by the agency, Russia has found itself in a dead end: the old strategy, flooding Ukraine with troops, no longer yields results. The situation could theoretically be changed, but only at the cost of extremely risky moves.
Options Moscow is considering:
- New wave of mobilization—another 100,000 people or more
- Offensive from Belarus into northern Ukraine
- Sharp escalation of the conflict, including an attack on the Baltic states.
"They are in a state of panic because they do not want mobilization — they are afraid of their own people. They do not want to seriously challenge the Baltics either — they are afraid of that as well. They cannot use a nuclear weapon. So the logic becomes: let's at least bomb Kyiv," says the agency's source.
"Russia's last remaining advantage is its missile capability, particularly ballistic missiles," says another source for the agency.
"As a result, Ukraine's capital should realistically prepare for attacks similar to the one carried out on the night of May 24 to become more or less regular," the report states.
Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy has called on the world to increase political and economic pressure on Russia, stressing that this is the only way to stop the regular strikes on Ukrainian cities.
The Economist previously reported that Zelenskyy had allegedly ordered preparations for another 2–3 years of war; however, the agency's government sources denied this, calling it old disinformation.
