Vladimir Putin's ambition to annex all of Ukraine exposed 'all of Ukraine is ours'

Vladimir Putin has reignited concerns of an escalated conflict by suggesting his military objectives may now encompass the entire nation of Ukraine.

During a speech last week, the Russian president proclaimed "all of Ukraine is ours" even as global attention was largely focused on the turmoil in the Middle East and the rising anxiety over Iran's nuclear program.

"Wherever the Russian soldier treads is ours," Putin declared at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, while his troops advanced into the northern Sumy region—a territory not previously claimed in the four regions he annexed in 2022.

Angelica Evans, a Russia expert at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), noted that Putin began signaling broader territorial aims as early as May during a visit to the Kursk border area, where he proposed a 30km "buffer zone" along Ukraine's frontier.

"That was a light way to introduce that into the information space. First, it's a buffer zone, it's just 30km to protect Russians," Ms. Evans explained to The Telegraph. "Then you're not that far from major regional cities, so why not take those?", reports the Express.

She further commented: "It's slow-rolling what I think we eventually will see ... a return to an acknowledgement to take all of Ukraine."

This apparent strategic shift could account for the recent uptick in severe attacks on civilian targets. A missile strike on a residential building in Kyiv resulted in 18 fatalities, and another assault on a civilian train in Dnipropetrovsk claimed 17 lives.

Ms. Evans has issued a stark warning regarding the strategy behind the recent strikes: "A lot of these strikes are about undermining Ukrainian morale and for some of these settlements, that are closer to the frontline, an effort to convince people to leave and to make it easier in the future to seize these places."

Data from ISW indicates that Russian forces captured 588 sq km of Ukrainian territory in June, up from 507 sq km in May, 379 in April, and 240 in March. Despite this incremental increase, at the current rate, Russia would need 70 years to take over the entire country.

Ukrainian officials have likely anticipated a long conflict. During peace talks in Istanbul earlier in May, Russian negotiators hinted that Moscow could sustain the combat for another 21 years.

The potential fall of Dachne in Dnipropetrovsk is seen as a critical juncture. Ukraine has not previously engaged in ground warfare in this area, and military leaders caution that the flat landscape and low population density could allow Russian troops to progress swiftly.

This concern is heightened by the fact that Russia's military is pushing forward at its quickest pace since November.

Peace talks are at a standstill. Putin has stated that discussions are "nowhere close" to a conclusion, even after attempts involving Donald Trump did not advance.

On Monday, Russian forces announced they had taken complete control of Luhansk, a region they've mostly held for years. If verified, this would be the first instance of Russia fully capturing a Ukrainian region since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

However, indications now suggest that Putin is extending his reach beyond the four regions unlawfully annexed in 2022.

Russian state media has reported that Moscow's forces have also captured their first village in Dnipropetrovsk - a significant development in a region Ukraine has never had to defend from invading troops before.

Reports now indicate tens of thousands of Russian soldiers amassing around Sumy, hinting at another major offensive on the horizon.

Russia's 2022 annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia followed its initial failure to capture Kyiv - a strategic move to narrow the war's scope.

Yet, despite nearly three years of conflict, it has taken until now - if the latest claims are confirmed - to assert full control over just one of these regions.

Now, the signs of a wider campaign are becoming increasingly hard to overlook. Renewed attacks on Kharkiv and Sumy, cities initially targeted and repelled at the onset of the war, suggest that Putin's ambitions may be reverting to their original - and most perilous - form.