According to experts, the Russian leadership is planning a massive escalation this winter to force Ukraine into concessions. Maria Snegova, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told the New York Post that after the failed spring campaign, the Kremlin now aims to inflict maximum damage in winter. Putin will again rely on cold and airstrikes to provoke a humanitarian crisis.
The attacks could be even more intense than last year, when Russian troops fired record numbers of drones and missiles at civilian infrastructure daily, Snegova said. Kateryna Stepanenko, deputy director of cognitive warfare at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), sees a possible expansion of targets: in addition to energy facilities, railway lines and water supplies could be hit to disrupt logistics and supply.
Stepanenko stressed that the memory of last harsh winter is traumatic for many Ukrainians. The Kremlin is trying to use this fear as leverage. Russia’s economy is in deep crisis, making Putin increasingly desperate.
EuroPulse reported on June 9, 2026, about Putin’s humiliation in Crimea, where fuel shortages occurred after Ukrainian attacks (https://europulse.today/ukraine-krieg-putins-blamage-krim-benzin-knapp/).
Source: 24tv.ua
