Donbas, corridor to Crimea and Transnistria – new goals of Russian war

This was reported by the Kommersant newspaper quoting Deputy Commander of the Central Military District Rustam Minnekayev as saying, according to Ukrinform.

“Since the beginning of the second phase of the special operation, which has begun just two days ago, one of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish full control over Donbas and southern Ukraine. This will secure a land corridor to Crimea, as well as affect the vital facilities of the Ukrainian economy,” Minnekayev told the annual meeting of the Union of Defense Enterprises of Sverdlovsk oblast.

He also added that control over the south of Ukraine could give Russia another path to Transnistria, where allegedly "the facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population" have been recorded.