Putin has issued an order for the "complete liberation" of Donbas; will Ukraine succeed in thwarting this plan?
05-08-2026 19:04 Politics
1in.am On August 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense. The information was disseminated by the Kremlin's press service. During the meeting, the President of the Russian Federation announced new personnel appointments. “By the proposal of the Minister of Defense, a decision has been made to centralize all rear services in one hand, and in this direction, I have appointed Valery Solodchuk to the position,” said Putin. Prior to this appointment, Solodchuk was the commander of the "Center" military group.
In this position, General-Lieutenant Andrey Ivanayev has been appointed by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation. According to the President of Russia, the "Center" military group "is carrying out the most important, responsible task - the liberation of the 'Donetsk People's Republic', and the question of who will lead it, who will be the commander, is not ordinary." Putin literally stated: “I ask that Andrey Sergeyevich Ivanayev take on this work, this sector.”
Essentially, the President of Russia has admitted that the "complete liberation" of the Donetsk region has not been achieved under the previous commander in that direction, which is why General Solodchuk has been appointed as the head of the rear troops, and Andrey Ivanayev has been appointed in his place.
It is interesting that the same Chief of Staff of the "Center" military group, Denis Lyamin, has been appointed as the commander of the UAV troops of the Russian Armed Forces by Putin's decree. This type of troops has just been created and is in the formation phase, and regarding the commander, as the President of the Russian Federation clarified, discussions have taken place about "who has performed better in this field." According to him, "one of the more qualified specialists in this area is Lyamin."
The changes and relocations made by the President of Russia in the command structure of the troops fighting against Ukraine suggest that Russia will soon begin large-scale operations in the Donetsk direction. In the context of the informational statements about the "initiatives" for the negotiation settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, Putin's initiative is understandable, as it marks the one-year anniversary of the Anchorage summit, but Ukrainian troops have not been withdrawn from the Donetsk region, and Russia has not succeeded in "liberating the 'DPR'."
If Russia manages to achieve the "incomplete and final liberation" of Donbas as a result of new military operations, then negotiations will become meaningless. On the same day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen publicly announced that an additional 1.4 billion euros has been provided to Ukraine from the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank to strengthen its defense capabilities. Will Ukraine succeed in thwarting the Russian President's plan to occupy Donbas and other territories?
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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