Russia’s targets in Ukraine now extend beyond the eastern Donbas region and into the south of the country, a senior government minister has said. As the war in Ukraine approaches its fifth month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told state media that the “geography is different.” “It is far from being only DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and LPR (Luhansk People’s Republic), it is also Kherson region, Zaporizhzhia region and a number of other territories, and this process continues, continues steadily and persistently Lavrov said. during an interview with RIA Novosti, published on Wednesday. Lavrov’s remarks signal the Kremlin’s reoriented approach to the war in Ukraine. Just three months ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin shifted his military efforts to the east of the country after failing to capture Kyiv. When Russian forces followed Putin’s order and captured the last town in the Luhansk region still in Ukrainian hands – Lysychansk – earlier this month, their next move was expected to be in neighboring Donetsk region. If Donetsk fell, Moscow would seize the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which has been home to Russian-backed separatist factions since 2014. However, the recently delivered US$400 million HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) have boosted the Ukrainian military’s ability to strike Russian targets – a major factor that has caused new problems for Moscow. Earlier this month, massive explosions occurred in several occupied areas in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. The available evidence, from satellite imagery and Western analysts, is that the targeting was highly effective. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Ukrainian President’s Chief of Staff, repeated calls for more HIMARS weapons on Ukrainian television on Wednesday. ‘Immediate threat’: Lavrov said that as the West continues to supply Ukraine with more long-range weapons, including the High Mobility Artillery Missile System (HIMARS), Russia’s geographic targets in Ukraine will move further away from the current line. “We cannot allow any weapons into the part of Ukraine controlled by Zelensky or whoever replaces him, which pose a direct threat to our territory or the territory of republics that have declared their independence or those that wish to determine their own future. regardless,” Lavrov said. “The President was very clear, as you mentioned: denationalization and demilitarization in the sense that there should be no threat to our security, no military threat from the territory of Ukraine, and that goal remains,” Lavrov said. Read more here.
