Russia shifts deadline to seize Donetsk region 15 times – Office of the President of Ukraine
According to him, Russia has already changed its deadlines for reaching the region's administrative borders 15 times.
He said Russian troops have failed for years to achieve any operational success in the Donetsk region. Despite this, the Russian leadership continues to set new deadlines. Russia's political leadership currently wants to capture the Donbas area by the end of 2026, while the military is asking to postpone this goal until March 31, 2027.
According to Palisa, participants discussed Russia's plans and the reasons why they have remained unrealized for years with the head of the President's Office, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, and the commander of the Air Force. US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also joined the conversation.
Palisa noted that Russian troops pay a high price even for the advances they make at the front. For every square kilometer, they lose hundreds of soldiers killed and wounded.
The meeting also addressed Russian air attacks separately. Participants named jet-powered drones as one of the new challenges.
According to Palisa, Ukraine is already working on systems to intercept such drones and intends to protect its cities from the new threat.
At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine will continue resisting Russia despite a shortage of resources.
"It has never been easy for us. We have learned to fight under conditions of scarcity, and we will continue to stand. But the amount of partner assistance directly translates into saved lives — both military and civilian. Therefore, together with our partners, as a united front, we must continue defending our common future," he concluded.
Background
It should be noted that in August, Ukrainian troops liberated another 2 square kilometers of forested area in the Kharkiv region from Russian occupiers. This concerns an area southwest of Zapadne near Kupiansk. After clearing the territory, the Defense Forces continued moving west of Dvorichna.
The Defense Forces are also continuing combat operations in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukrainian troops are liberating settlements from Russian forces, but they have not yet fully restored control over the region — the area of Dachne remains under occupation.
According to the DeepState map, Ukrainian troops liberated the settlements of Zelenyi Hai, Novokhatske, Hrushivske, Tolstoi, Zirka, Yalta, Piddubne, Myrne, Voskresenka, Sichneve, Vorone, Ternove, Berezove, Stepove, Kalynivske, Pryvillia, Zlahoda, Rybne, and Krasnohirske. They also pushed occupation troops back in Novopavlivka, Novoheorhiivka, Novomykolaivka, Novohryhorivka, Zaporizke, and Pryvilne.
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8 of September 2026
