Frontline developments will be linked to political situation in Russia — serviceman Tymochko

Ivan Tymochko, a serviceman and chairman of the Council of Reservists of the Ukrainian Land Forces, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"If we focus only on the military aspect, we may miss many political threats that will later affect our armament and support among international institutions. This could seriously harm Ukraine in the future. In particular, when preparing our offensive operations. Therefore, this should be taken into account," he said.

According to him, Putin built the state on symbols and considered the political component more important than the economic well-being of the population. Therefore, Ukraine must take this into account and combine the political and military components.

Regarding the military aspects, the Russian attacks are a reaction to the current situation, not a unique military campaign, the serviceman believes.

"The Kupyansk direction is an attempt to occupy a railroad junction in the Kharkiv region in order to extend the offensive towards Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Kostyantynivka. Bakhmut was a forced move, as the military garrison that was in Bakhmut faced the threat of operational encirclement. Avdiivka is a fortified area and is very close to Donetsk, with fire control over the suburban areas of Donetsk. That is, in all directions, Russian attacks are only a reaction to the current situation," he said.

• On December 8, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced his intention to run for the presidency in 2024. The presidential election will be multi-day for the first time.
• On December 10, the Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian troops were intensifying offensive actions in difficult weather conditions and trying to seize the initiative at the front before the presidential election in Russia. At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are consolidating their positions where they are not conducting counteroffensives.