Kremlin continues efforts to misrepresent its likely maximalist goals in Ukraine - ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank, said this in its daily report, Ukrinform reports.

In their analysis of the situation as of August 16, ISW experts said that "Russian strategic objectives remain unchanged: changing the regime change in Kyiv and securing territorial control over most of Ukraine."

At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his speech at the Army-2022 forum on August 15, omitted mention of territory outside of Donbas while describing the goals of Russia's war in Ukraine. He said that Russian and Donbas forces are "doing their duty" to fight for Russia and "liberate" Donbas.

Such a limited statement of Russian goals sharply contrasts with previously articulated Russian war goals to "denazify" and "demilitarize" all of Ukraine, according to ISW conclusions.

Putin's relatively limited statement additionally is incompatible with Russian actions to integrate occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions into the Russian Federation, experts said.

On February 24, Russia began a new phase of its eight-year war against Ukraine – an all-out invasion.