The United States notes that after the Russian occupation forces failed to achieve a quick victory over Ukraine, there are all indications that the Kremlin is moving towards a new strategy to force the Ukrainian government to agree to territorial claims and neutrality between Russia and the West.
This is stated in an article in The Wall Street Journal.
The United States and its allies have stated that the initial goals of Russian President Vladimir Putin — it is the capture of Kyiv within a few days and the replacement of the government by a pro-Russian regime. But none of this came true.
The grueling fighting and heavy casualties forced Putin to adjust his tactics, according to a senior US official. According to information, the Russian president wants to force Kyiv to accept Russia's claims to the southern and eastern territories of Ukraine. The Russian Federation seeks to secure a land crossing between western Russia and the occupied Crimean peninsula, as well as to expand its control over the Donbass.
Putin will also continue shelling Ukrainian cities, hoping that this will force President Zelensky to abandon the NATO course and agree neutral status and other requirements of the aggressor country.
If Putin's demands are rejected, he will try to keep all the territories that his forces have occupied and continue to wage war.
— Based on our military assessment, it looks like he is returning to siege tactics,” another US official said.
That means weeks, possibly months of Russian military attacks. This strategy is also designed to influence Volodymyr Zelensky.
US officials say Putin could expand his military goals if his troops begin to make more headway in Ukraine. The status of the capital remains an open question. Given Ukraine's strong resistance, it is unclear whether the Russian military can muster enough troops to tightly cordon off Kyiv and take the capital.
The Wall Street Journal notes that the above interpretation of Putin's strategy is not an assessment by the intelligence services — ; this is the point of view of some US officials who have access to classified information.
Speaking of Mariupol and other cities, the publication notes that the Russian Federation is using siege tactics there, which they used in Grozny in 1999 and 2000 during second Chechen war. Mariupol is an important strategic target for Moscow as it needs a corridor from the occupied Crimean peninsula.
John Herbst, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, agrees that the Russian military has changed its tactics on the battlefield, but said that there is no sign that Putin has abandoned his maximum demands.
