"The plans of the russian leadership are constantly being adjusted. As of today, the main goal defined by the russian federation for 2025 is the capture of the entire territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the fulfillment of the objectives of the so-called special military operation of the russian federation, and the retention of control over the territories already occupied (the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and directly annexed Crimea)", - said the Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Vadym Skibitskyi, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
At the same time, according to him, if we talk about the kremlin’s global plans, they have remained unchanged since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992.
"Taking control and exerting direct influence over our state has been one of the kremlin’s main goals for many years. Ukraine is a powerful defense-industrial complex, an industry with a sufficient human resource of Slavic population that has a similar language and significant historical achievements over this entire period. Moreover, it is a large territory that would allow the russian federation to create a so-called buffer zone along its borders with NATO countries", - Skibitskyi said.