Russia wants to take half of Ukraine by the end of 2026. Will remain without the Black Sea

Russia wants to take half of the Ukrainian territory by the end of 2026, “Newsweek” wrote on Tuesday. Moscow plans to occupy the entire area east of the Dnieper and most of the Mikołajów and Odaski District.

Last week, the deputy head of the office of the President of Ukraine Pawło Palisa presented a map, which shows that until September 1 Russia plans to occupy the entire territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk District, and by the end of 2026 the rest of the Ukrainian territory east of Dnieper and the Oddiper and Mikołajów District.

Russia wants to “occupy a whole part of Ukraine on the left (eastern) shore of Dnieper,” said Palisa. The map shows what can happen within 18 months if Russia is not stopped – he alarm. Ukraine would be completely devoid of access to the Black Sea.

Russia recently announced that her forces enter Ukrainian regions that are not under her occupation – noted “Newsweek”. On Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense and representatives of the Kremlin reported that the Russian forces crossed the border of Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk regions. The Ukrainian authorities did not confirm reports of the presence of Russian troops in the Dnepropetrovsk region. There was also unconfirmed information about the entering the Russians into the summary region.

In 2022, Vladimir Putin announced “joining” to Russia of four occupied Ukrainian circuits – Donetski, Luganski, Zaporoski and Kherson, despite the fact that its troops did not control and still do not fully control these regions.

“Newsweek” assessed that the map presented by Ukraine in combination with recent messages flowing from Moscow about new operations testify to the wider territorial ambitions of the Kremlin in Ukraine, going beyond the demands presented during negotiations, in which President Donald Trump tries to mediate.

The American Institute of War Studies published a version of the map presented by the palisa, on which Russia plans to take control of 336 300 square km by the end of 2026 – more than half of the total area of ​​Ukraine.

“At this point, Ukrainians know that if they do not take action, if they fluctuate or do nothing, Russia will simply make progress. The fears do not only apply to escalation, but survival,” Elina Beketov from Washington's Think -Tanku center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) said to “Newsweek”.

According to military analysts, Moscow will try to intensify offensive actions to increase pressure during peaceful negotiations, but will not be able to maintain this pressure forever and may have difficulty maintaining the pace of action in 2026.

From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)

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