Bloomberg reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to intensify attacks on military and civilian targets in Ukraine before winter, citing sources close to the Kremlin.
Russia is planning to escalate its attacks on military and civilian targets in Ukraine before winter, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources close to the Kremlin. The goal is to achieve significant successes before the upcoming winter.
The Kremlin plans to continue targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, Bloomberg reported. By escalating the conflict, Putin aims to force Ukraine into peace talks on Russia’s terms.
Sources close to the Kremlin believe that Putin thinks Donald Trump will not do much to help Ukraine defend against the intensified attacks. This assessment comes after a meeting between Putin and Trump on August 15 in Alaska.
The Bloomberg report states that the conversation between the two leaders reinforced Putin’s perception that Trump does not intend to increase U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war.
The Institute for the Study of War, an American think tank, suggests that Putin may have allowed Kremlin sources to share information with Bloomberg to strengthen Russia’s propaganda narrative about an inevitable victory in the war and to instill fear in Ukrainian society.
The think tank also notes that the Kremlin may seek to exacerbate the dispute between the U.S. and Europe regarding Ukraine policy.
