Russia wants to seize more territories, but unlikely to be able to do so – ISW

Russia has set itself the goal of capturing more territories of Ukraine before holding referendums and annexation. Such assumptions were made by analysts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the report said.

Thus, it is noted that the Russian-backed leadership continues to announce deadlines for the capture of additional Ukrainian territory, probably to support the ongoing preparations for a referendum on joining these territories to the Russian Federation.

The deputy "minister of information" of the so-called self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Danylo Bezsonov said on July 25 that the fake republic expects to capture the entire Donetsk region by the end of August.

Earlier, various Russian and Western sources reported that Russia intends to hold referendums in the occupied territories in the first half of the month, probably around September 11.

The Russian-backed so-called occupying power is likely to insist on a deadline for military objectives to support the terms of an accelerated annexation, even though Russian forces are unlikely to occupy significant additional territory in Ukraine before the stated annexation deadline begins.

Key conclusions from the institute's analysts:

• The occupation leadership announces an accelerated deadline for the seizure of Ukrainian territory to coordinate the Kremlin's efforts to prepare for the annexation of the occupied territories.
• Russian troops captured small territories northeast of Bakhmut and continue fighting to the east and south of Bakhmut.
• Russian forces launched a limited attack northwest of Izium, probably to secure Russian rear areas on the Izium-Sloviyansk line.
• The occupiers carried out limited shelling in the southwest of the city of Donetsk near the border of Zaporizhzhia region.
• Russian troops focused on the defense of the occupied borders and carried out a limited ground assault in the north-west of Kherson region.
• Ukrainian troops continued to attack Russian logistical facilities in Kherson region.
• The Kremlin continues the formation of regional volunteer battalions to send them to Ukraine.
• Ukrainian intelligence sources continue to reveal Kremlin's plans to annex occupied Ukraine through falsified referendums.

As reported by Ukrainian News Agency, the Russian occupiers near Semyhiriya in the Bakhmut direction carried out reconnaissance by combat and were defeated by fire. In the Pivdennyi Buh direction, the invaders are concentrating their main efforts on preventing the advance of Ukrainian troops.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine should free itself from the Russian occupation within 3-6 weeks.