Putin’s generals plot new offensive despite 2025 failures
The aftermath of Russian attack on Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, at the dawn of Feb. 8, 2026 (Photo: Kramatorsk City Council/ Telegram)
Russian troops are concentrating along Ukraine's eastern and southern borders, specifically targeting the Pokrovsk and Hulyaipole sectors, as well as areas west of Zaporizhzhya, German broadcaster Welt reported on Feb. 10.
Ukrainian Kyiv Post outlet added on Feb. 9 that despite staggering losses and marginal territorial gains, Vladimir Putin’s generals are concentrating troops and equipment for a massive push aimed at dictating peace terms to Kyiv.
The offensive is expected to begin in late spring in the east — targeting Slovyansk and Kramatorsk in Donetsk oblast — before shifting to the south in early summer. The secondary push toward Zaporizhzhya and Orikhiv aims to draw Ukrainian forces away from the main eastern front.
Ukrainian officials highlighted that the enemy's plans are well known.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) at the National Security and Defense Council, clarified that Welt’s report is not breaking news.
"We have been talking about the enemy preparing reserves to increase pressure in several directions since December and January," he noted.
"The enemy's plans are known and understood," Kovalenko emphasized.
"The Defense Forces of Ukraine are doing everything to disrupt them."
On Jan. 28, amid peace talks in Abu Dhabi, The Wall Street Journal outlined three potential war scenarios for 2026, ranging from continued combat to Ukrainian concessions or Russian exhaustion.
Throughout 2025, Russia occupied over 4,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory but failed to advance more than 40 km on any single operational axis over the entire year.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 13 that Defense Forces successfully thwarted Russia’s 2025 goals, which included capturing the remainder of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhya oblasts, the right bank of Kherson Oblast, and reaching Odesa.
Brigadier General Yevhen Lasiichuk believes the Russian army will be exhausted by spring 2026 following the battles for Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast.
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