Vladimir Putin appears to be preparing to shake up a battlefield that has become locked in a deadly stalemate. After a month of intense missile and drone exchanges, Russia is reorganising its military command, intensifying attacks and preparing for a potentially brutal new phase of the war. Putin orders generals to break the Donetsk deadlock Putin has demanded that newly appointed commanders seize the whole of Donetsk by the end of the year, describing the mission as “critical and high stakes”. Generals Andrei Ivanayev and Pyotr Bolgarev have been handed responsibility as Moscow seeks a breakthrough on the ground. The Kremlin has also created a new Unmanned Systems Forces command under Colonel General Denis Lyamin. The move underlines how central drones have become to Russia’s strategy, from frontline assaults to deep strikes hundreds of miles inside Ukraine. Missiles, drones and ships are closing the squeeze Russia is hammering Ukrainian cities and infrastructure while targeting grain facilities around Odesa and Mykolaiv. Ukraine, meanwhile, has stepped up attacks on Russian oil refineries, military stores and shipping, threatening Moscow’s economic lifelines. The result is mounting disruption across the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Crimea is also facing shortages of fuel, food and water as the conflict increasingly reaches civilian life and commercial trade. A new ground offensive could be coming Recent Russian assaults around Donetsk have combined tanks, drones, artillery and new anti-drone protection. Some armoured columns have come close to breaking Ukrainian lines before being stopped by waves of first-person-view drones. Moscow appears determined to repeat the tactic before autumn mud makes large-scale mechanised operations more difficult. Ukraine says Russian losses remain enormous, but fears Putin may be willing to absorb them in pursuit of territory. Ukraine faces a winter of mounting danger Kyiv is also running desperately short of Patriot interceptors as Russian ballistic missile attacks intensify. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that cities are being deliberately targeted, with Zaporizhzhia suffering a fresh strike that he said killed six people and wounded 19. The coming months could therefore bring simultaneous pressure on Ukraine’s cities, infrastructure and frontline forces. Putin’s strategy may ultimately fail again — but Kyiv faces the prospect of enduring the most punishing phase yet as winter approaches. Putin has a sinister new plan. We should all be worried
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