Russia Intends to Seize East of Ukraine and Block Black Sea Access by 2026, Says Ukrainian Official

Russia aims to occupy all Ukrainian territory east of the Dnipro River and cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea by 2026, according to Colonel Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

He made the remarks during a visit by the Ukrainian delegation to Washington, as reported by Politico on June 5.

Citing Ukrainian military intelligence, Palisa stated that Moscow intends to expand its control in eastern Ukraine, beginning with the full occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk regions this fall. The plan reportedly includes the creation of a buffer zone along Ukraine’s northern border with Russia by the end of the year.

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Speaking to journalists at Ukraine’s Embassy in Washington, Palisa emphasized that Russia’s long-term objective for 2026 is to seize all territory east of the Dnipro River.

“Russia also hopes to seize the southern Ukrainian regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv, he said, which would cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea — a vital conduit for exports of Ukrainian grain,” Politico quoted Palisa as saying.

Earlier, Meaghan Mobbs, daughter of Trump’s Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, responded to the large-scale Russian missile attack on Ukrainian cities during the night of June 6 with a pointed message to her father.

“It’s a loud night in Kyiv, Dad,” Mobbs wrote on her X account, tagging Kellogg. “It might be the explosions and gunfire in the dead of night, but I get the strange feeling the Russians don’t want peace.”

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