Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
In 2022 alone, the Kremlin allegedly set five different deadlines.
When a massive military conflict drags on for years, the pressure to show results mounts on the front lines.
Leaders often rely on strict timelines to keep their troops moving forward, but those goals can easily slip away.
The fight for eastern Ukraine remains the most intense flashpoint of the war. Daily assaults continue to hammer the region. According to the official website of the Ukrainian president, local forces face a relentless wave of attacks.
Yet Moscow keeps missing its targets. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called out this pattern during his June 29 address. He noted that the Kremlin constantly shifts its goals.
“It is enough to say just one fact: since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Russian army has already been given 15 deadlines for the capture of our Donetsk region. The political leadership of Russia is constantly delusional about the Donbas. Already 15 times they had this delusion, as if they will completely capture the Donbas,” Zelenskyy said according to United24 Media.
Shifting the goalposts
The timeline shows a history of delays. Moscow set five different dates in 2022, two in 2023, and another pair in 2024. By 2025, Russian leaders set three final deadlines while trying to convince US President Donald Trump that Ukrainian defenses were collapsing.
Now, the target has jumped to December 31. Zelenskyy warned that further delays will only cost more Russian lives as the conflict continues to take a heavy toll on civilians.
Tragedy struck again recently with fresh Russian attacks. The official website of the Ukrainian president reported deadly strikes on public transport in Zaporizhzhia, alongside heavy shelling in Kherson and Kharkiv.
Fighting back
But Kyiv is striking back. Systemic countermeasures have triggered fuel shortages deep inside Russia, forcing drivers to wait in long lines for petrol. It is a stark shift for an invasion Moscow claimed would last three days.
To maintain pressure, Ukraine is leaning on its allies. Zelenskyy recently met with Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus in Kyiv to finalise a drone deal and secure Denmark’s 30th military aid package.
