Zelenskyy Mocks Putin: 15 Failed Donbas Capture Deadlines in 4 Years

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sharply satirized Russia's military leadership, pointing out that the Kremlin has announced and subsequently canceled 15 deadlines for capturing the eastern Donbas region over more than four years.

Zelenskyy's statements came in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rejection of a proposal. Putin claimed the proposal aimed to end long-range strikes and reduce hostilities. Zelenskyy argued that Putin's words demonstrate his ignorance of the reality faced by Russian citizens, who are now experiencing queues at gas stations. This phenomenon, he noted, is directly linked to Ukrainian attacks on oil targets.

In a detailed retrospective, the Ukrainian president listed the fifteen deadlines set and then postponed by the Kremlin over four years for the capture of four eastern regions: Donetsk and Luhansk in Donbas, as well as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. "The Russian political leadership remains obsessed with Donbas," Zelenskyy stated, warning that if Russia does not end the war, it will be forced to postpone this deadline yet again.

Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russian forces initially attempted to advance toward Kyiv but failed and retreated, focusing since then on capturing Donbas. Moscow currently controls the entire Luhansk region and large parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia. However, Ukrainian officials report that Russian advances in the Donetsk region have slowed significantly, while Ukraine intensifies its medium- and long-range drone attacks. Putin, in a Sunday interview, assured that Russian forces would continue their efforts for full control of the four Ukrainian regions. He acknowledged fuel shortages but dismissed the Ukrainian proposal as a tactic to relieve pressure on the Ukrainian army.

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The Russian political leadership remains obsessed with Donbas. They have entertained this delusion – that they would fully capture Donbas – 15 times…