Giving up four regions means delaying Ukraine's final disappearance from world political map — Portnikov on Kremlin demands

He discussed this on Espreso TV. 

"We saw an interview with the press secretary of the Russian president, who said a few days ago that the fire would stop only after Ukrainian troops leave the territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. This is their clear position — 'We can start negotiations on a ceasefire when these large territories are handed over to us without a fight: when the Ukrainian army leaves Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, then we will start talking to them because we will have them by the throat.' You understand their idea, right?" Portnikov remarked.

According to him, the Kremlin's idea is that if the Ukrainian army leaves all the territories of these four regions and moves to positions that have not been prepared for defense, Russia will then be able to calmly talk to Ukrainians about capitulation.

"Giving up four regions within administrative borders, considering that there are no significant fortifications on the borders of these regions, would provide a large platform for further Russian advances, opening up a completely new strategic perspective. This would simply delay the moment of Ukraine's final disappearance from the political map of the world or at least the Russian military's advance to the Dnipro River. The Dnipro could become the last natural fortification where Russian forces can still be stopped. But in such a situation, of course, the territory up to the Dnipro could be fully occupied by the Russians if someone decides to surrender Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions without a fight. We must understand this danger. And of course, handing over the entire Kherson region leaves operational space for the occupation of Mykolaiv and Odesa regions," emphasized the journalist.

Portnikov added that a significant part of Putin's plan remains to deprive Ukraine of access to the sea: gaining control over Bessarabia, moving to the borders with Transnistria, and annexing this influence zone to the Republic of Moldova.

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