Russia has officially acknowledged that it wants to control both the East and the South of Ukraine

OLENA ROSCHINA - FRIDAY, 22 APRIL 2022, 12:08 pm

MAP OF WAR, BRITISH INTELLIGENCE DATA ON 21.04.22, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE ON TWITTER

The Russian army announced that the objective of Russian troops in the "second phase of the special operation" is to establish "complete control over Donbas and southern Ukraine."

Source: Deputy commander of the Central Military District of the Russian Federation, quoted by TASS and RIA Novosti

Details: According to the military official, the Russian army must establish "full control over Donbas" during the "second stage of the special operation."

According to him, "control over Donbas will create a land corridor to the Crimea and influence vital facilities of the Armed Forces."

And "control over the South of Ukraine will give the Russian Armed Forces another access route to Transnistria, where facts about the oppression of the Russian-speaking population have been noted," said the deputy commander of Russia’s Central Military District.

He did not specify how many "phases" of the war Russia is planning.

Background: Before the start of the war, Russian officials at the highest levels denied plans to attack Ukraine, and then Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion.

The main arguments for the war, which they call a "special military operation", were the so-called "liberation of Donbas", i.e. an even larger capture of Eastern Ukraine, as well as the alleged danger to Russia should Ukraine join NATO.

Advancing in eastern Ukraine, Russia continues to deny plans to seize Ukraine and overthrow its legitimate government, while Western intelligence is convinced that the defeat of Kyiv and control over Ukraine remain Putin's main goals.