Media: Russia is considering another attack on Kyiv
Even though the current results of the armed invasion of the Russian army into Ukraine clearly do not meet Moscow's original plans, the Kremlin is again discussing a possible assault on Kyiv and even hopes for a full-scale victory in the war, reports Meduza, citing its sources close to the Russian leadership.
The publication writes that, amid the slow advance of Russian troops in the Donbas, there is again hope in the internal political bloc of the Russian Presidential Administration that Moscow could "bring the war in Ukraine to victory" in a few months.
The Kremlin considers capturing the entire territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions the "minimum goal" sufficient for "declaring victory". Moscow is currently close to this result. A little more than 40% of the Donetsk region and only 5% of the territory of the Luhansk region remain under Ukraine’s control. And according to recent reports, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic claims full control over the entire territory of the "republic".
The "maximum goal" for the Russian Federation is still taking control of Kyiv. According to Meduza's interlocutors in the Kremlin, Russia's top leadership still has not abandoned this goal.
"We're still going to finish them," one of the sources said. "Most likely, by the autumn everything will be over."
The publication indicates that such sentiments are now common not only in the Kremlin, but also in the leadership of the governing party "United Russia".