Budanov outlined Ukraine’s current strategy in the war: focusing on Russian logistics and Crimea
This was stated in an interview with RBC-Ukraine by Kirill Budanov, Head of the President’s Office.
According to him, disrupting Russia’s logistics is currently one of the key elements of Ukraine’s plan, as there is effectively no other viable option for wearing down the enemy at this stage of the war.
What Budanov described as Ukraine’s current plan
Budanov stated that Ukraine has tried many times to reduce the effectiveness of Russian logistics, but this has now become more effective thanks to technological advances and an increase in domestic production.
He said that the increased intensity of the strikes is enabling more tangible results to be achieved.
“Our aim is to exhaust the enemy as much as possible and destroy their capabilities,” said Budanov.
He also explained that stabilising the front line is directly linked to strikes against Russian logistics. He said the front line must be “more or less stable”, and to achieve this, it is necessary to make supplies to Russian troops as difficult as possible.
Why Crimea has become a separate theatre of operations
Budanov focused separately on Crimea, which has recently featured regularly in reports due to strikes on the occupiers’ military and logistical facilities.
He stated that Ukraine’s main objective in this theatre is to cut off Russia’s southern logistics routes. Through the temporarily occupied Crimea, he said, the Russians are providing substantial support to their forces in the south.
Budanov also addressed Ukrainians who remain in occupied Crimea and are awaiting Ukraine’s return. He acknowledged that strikes on Russian targets are causing them everyday difficulties — in particular, disruptions to fuel, electricity and water supplies. At the same time, he said, these inconveniences are linked to a greater goal — the return of Crimea to Ukraine.
Is Ukraine facing a fuel crisis?
Against the backdrop of Russian strikes on Ukrainian petrol stations and businesses, Budanov stated that he sees no reason to expect a fuel crisis in Ukraine as a whole or in Kyiv in particular.
He acknowledged that the intensification of strikes on petrol stations, particularly in frontline regions, is a major problem. However, he said, it will be resolved.
Escalation as a path to negotiations
Budanov also described the current stage of the war as a period of escalation, which may precede a new window of opportunity for dialogue.
He said that in the spring there had been opportunities to revitalise the peace process, but the parties have now entered a phase of intensified confrontation. He stated that to emerge from an escalation, it is often necessary to let it reach its peak, after which a return to dialogue becomes possible.
At the same time, Budanov emphasised that negotiations only make sense when both sides have a stake in them.
Territorial concessions are out of the question
Commenting on the possible conditions for ending the war, Budanov stated that territorial compromises are out of the question for Ukraine.
He explained that Russia is incorporating the ‘3 plus 2’ idea into the so-called ‘spirit of Anchorage’ — Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Budanov emphasised that such an approach is unacceptable to Ukraine, and that territorial concessions are not on the table.
What might force Putin to end the war
According to Budanov, only coordinated action by Ukraine, the US, Europe and China can force Russia to change its position.
He noted that Europe’s opinion is less important to Russia than the US’s position, but many practical matters depend on European countries. Budanov described China’s position as neutral, but added that it would be far worse for Ukraine if Beijing were to openly side with Moscow.
In his view, Russia’s current strategy is not one of waiting, but of gradually advancing – “metre by metre”. That is precisely why, he said, Ukraine must continue to work to wear down Russia’s capabilities and not lose the support of its allies.
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