Russian troops ordered to attack everywhere — Dykyi on what to expect

“Since the story with the Riyadh negotiations began, [Russia] has issued an order to strain its last reserves and put on a show of force — one they haven’t truly had for months now,” Dykyi said.

“In reality, they’ve largely lost the initiative. Their peak power, their moment of momentum — that was last fall and winter. Back then, they were charging ahead full force from all directions. That hasn’t been the case for a while now.”

He pointed to Pokrovsk as the clearest example. “They crawled up to it and got stuck. And now they see clearly: they’re never going to take it.”

But Dykyi warned that with peace talks looming, Moscow needs to simulate a renewed offensive — a show of regained initiative — in order to pressure Ukraine into capitulation.

“They need to create the illusion that they’re once again calling the shots — when, where, and how the war is fought. That’s why they’re probing the Zaporizhzhya direction right now. That’s also why they’re attempting — not serious ones yet — but reconnaissance landings even on the right bank of Kherson Oblast.”

“All of this is part of the same play,” he said. “It’s a large-scale pressure campaign designed to convince our allies — and, if it works, even us — that signing these Trump-brokered agreements, which are essentially Kremlin-drafted deals, is our only option.”

“They’re building a narrative tailored to what [U.S. President Donald] Trump said. Remember, when asked what Russia’s concessions were in the proposed deal, Trump said: ‘What do you mean? Russia made a huge concession — it’s not going to take over the entire territory of Ukraine.’”

“It wasn’t the Ukrainian Armed Forces that created a situation in which seizing all of Ukraine is off the table — no,” Dykyi said. “Apparently, it was Putin who did Trump a favor and, out of the goodness of his heart, agreed not to conquer the entire country. Otherwise, Ukraine is supposedly just lying there, waiting to be taken.”

“So yes, right now the Russians have orders to attack anywhere they can and ignore the losses,” he said. “Dnipropetrovsk Oblast fits perfectly into that narrative.”

“Even if all they get is a single linear meter of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — and honestly, they’re unlikely to get more — they’ll turn that one meter into a press release and declare another oblast under control,” Dykyi said. “And they’ll wave that around during the talks.”