DW: Russia Is Preparing For A "decisive Battle"
6- 13.07.2025, 11:57
- 15,228

The Kremlin's immediate goal in the war with Ukraine has been named.
Russia has recently significantly stepped up drone attacks on Ukraine, and experts believe they are part of Russia's campaign for a major offensive this summer.
As DW, while expanding drone production means Russia is now able to launch attacks of this level on its own without relying on Iran.
"They are currently producing thousands of drones a month," military equipment expert David Gambling told DW. "That number could be in the tens of thousands, and that's enough to swamp most defense systems that can shoot down missiles."
Till then, Colonel Markus Reisner of the Austrian armed forces believes Russia would not be able to carry out such attacks without the help of other countries. He added that China supplies drone parts and North Korea supplies ballistic missiles.
"It can be seen that Russia relies on its allies," he said.
What Russia is trying to accomplish
Reisner believes Putin has two strategic goals in his latest combined attacks: to destroy Ukraine's military-industrial complex and to influence the Ukrainian public.
"Targeted attacks on the population, which should be further weakened by terror, are an indirect attempt to put pressure on the Ukrainian government," he said.
German political analyst Andreas Heinemann-Gruder predicts that Russia will launch a new offensive this summer, and he believes that more combined attacks are part of this campaign.
"Russia's goal, he said, is to disable Ukrainian air defenses to the point where losses cannot be compensated by supplies from Western countries. He added that the attacks could also signal that Russia is preparing for a 'decisive battle,' and that he cannot rule out the possibility that by the end of the year Russia will force Ukraine to submit to the Kremlin's demands."
At the same time, all the experts interviewed tell DW that more decisive action from the West is needed to regain control on the battlefield.
Ukraine is now making good progress in producing its own drones, but still cannot do without support, Col. Reisner said. "It needs Western support, especially in the area of special weapons systems such as Patriot anti-aircraft missiles," he said.