Russia war strategy 2026

Ukraine turns up pressure on Putin by targeting Crimea’s supply lines

Ukraine is trying to turn Russian-occupied Crimea into a new pressure point against the Kremlin to force Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to end his war against Ukraine.

3 July, 04:18 PM

ISW rebuts Putin’s claims of sweeping Russian gains across Ukraine front

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin made another series of sharply exaggerated claims about Russian troop advances in Ukraine in a recent interview with propagandist Pavel Zarubin, statements that do not match battlefield realities — including around Kostiantynivka, Dobropillya and Kupyansk.

30 June, 12:25 PM

Kremlin tests forced street recruitment for war in Penza

Moscow is trying to replenish its ranks for the war against Ukraine while avoiding public protests and is testing a “quiet” approach: mass street roundups and forcing Russian men into military contracts, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service said on June 26.

26 June, 02:53 PM

Putin told troops can seize four Ukrainian regions with enough manpower — report

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not want to end the war against Ukraine and has said he is ready to keep fighting for at least another two years.

25 June, 04:05 PM

Ukraine’s drone advances stall Putin’s war machine as Russian losses mount

Ukraine’s battlefield innovations are undermining Russia’s manpower advantage, leaving Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s war machine struggling in the drone era even as he remains confident he can still get his way, the Financial Times reported.

21 June, 08:07 PM

Zelenskyy warns Russian bases near Europe signal long-term security threat

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has chosen a long-term anti-European and anti-democratic strategy as Moscow builds military bases near Europe’s borders. Zelenskyy made the remarks in his evening video address on June 13.

14 June, 10:39 AM

Syrskyi warns Russia aims to seize all Ukraine, not just Donbas

Russia is trying to seize not only Donbas but all of Ukraine, Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on April 22.

22 April, 12:48 PM

Russia scales back battlefield ambitions as troop shortages choke offensive plans

Russia has not changed its battlefield goals but has again pushed back its timeline — now to the second half of 2026 or early 2027, NV learned from Ukraine’s military intelligence.

30 March, 06:41 PM

Russia shifts Shahed tactics as Ukraine races to blunt new wave of mass drone attacks

Russia is changing its tactics in mass attacks on Ukraine, but Ukraine’s Defense Forces are developing new ways to counter Russian drones, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 30 after a working meeting on countering Russian drones.

30 March, 12:58 PM

Military experts outline Russia's 2026 frontline goals in Ukraine

NV in collaboration with military experts analyzed plans for the Russian army's spring-summer campaign and three potential scenarios for frontline developments in 2026.

30 March, 09:52 AM

Ukraine counteroffensive in south disrupts Russia’s 2026 campaign plans — NV analysis

Russian battlefield losses have exceeded the number of new recruits for three consecutive months, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 13, highlighting growing strain on Moscow’s war effort. At the same time, Ukrainian forces have launched a counteroffensive on the southern front that has already disrupted Russian plans for the coming campaign. NV, together with military analysts, examined the operation’s early results and what it could mean for the battlefield in the months ahead.

14 March, 11:55 AM

What Putin wants: Where Russian generals may deploy troops this spring and summer — NV analysis

Russia’s next “major offensive” in eastern Ukraine is expected to focus on two key sectors — southern Donbas and the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk “fortress belt” in northern Donetsk Oblast — NV reported in an analysis with military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko published on March 7.

7 March, 11:40 AM

Zelenskyy says Ukraine will not abandon Donbas despite Russian demands

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will not abandon Donbas or the 200,000 Ukrainians living there, warning that any withdrawal would open the way for Russia to advance deeper into the country and encourage further Kremlin demands.

3 March, 04:20 PM

Russia war strategy 2026