Russia's Primary War Aim: A Land Bridge to Crimea, Not the Donbas.

Russia's Key Invasion Objectives

According to UATV: On February 22, 2023, Pavlo Lakiyichuk, head of military programs at the Center for Global Studies 'Strategy XXI', stated during an interview on the FREEDOM TV channel that Russia's primary goal in its invasion was to establish a land corridor to Crimea, not to seize the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. According to him, occupied Crimea was linked to Russia in the very first days of the full-scale war. This analysis suggests that securing the annexed peninsula was a more immediate strategic priority for Moscow than the eastern Donbas region.

Lakiyichuk noted that the northern offensive operation included the Sumy and Chernihiv regions and aimed to capture Kyiv. He emphasized that the axis from Crimea ran through Mariupol, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa.

"This was not the direction of the main strike,"

Russia's Broader Intentions

Commenting on Russia's overall intentions, Lakiyichuk remarked:

"The minimum task has been checked off. The second task, the maximum task, which remained in 2022, is to change Ukraine's course, turning it into Belarus 2.0,"

Pavlo Lakiyichuk's declarations highlight the importance of understanding Russia's strategic aims during its aggression against Ukraine. They indicate that the military campaign was part of a broader strategy encompassing not just military but also political dimensions. This perspective is crucial for assessing Ukraine's and the international community's future actions in response to the aggression and for shaping an adequate defense strategy and international support for Ukraine.