Trend towards expansion of Russia's territorial space

Trend Towards Expansion of Russian Territorial Space

Forecast: "Russia Under the Flag of Change: Forecast for May - October 2026" (published April 30, 2026, link).

S. Dragan:

By May 17, 2026, there will be a trend towards the expansion of Russia's territorial space...

According to political analysts, while the US is distracted by Iran, Russia has increased pressure on Ukraine and changed its negotiating position. Kyiv refuses to yield, and the conflict enters a new phase.

On May 13, 2026, TASS published a statement from Russian President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov that the Ukrainian Armed Forces should leave Donbas and other regions of Russia to open a corridor for full-format peace talks.

"In order for a ceasefire to be established and a corridor to be opened for full-format peace negotiations, as the president already mentioned in June of last year when addressing the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Zelenskyy must order the Armed Forces of Ukraine to cease fire and leave the territory of Donbas, leave the territory of Russian regions," - he said to journalists in response to a question about what significant step Zelenskyy should take to move closer to resolving the Ukrainian conflict.

In response to a request for clarification on whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces should also leave the territory of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Peskov recommended re-reading the statement of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, at the meeting with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June 2024.

The Russian leader then outlined the conditions for a ceasefire and the start of negotiations: Ukrainian troops must be fully withdrawn from the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, specifically from the entire territory of these regions within their administrative boundaries as they existed when they were part of Ukraine.

Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov previously stated that the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas is a crucial component of the overall peace plan.

At the same time, the territorial issue is being exploited by Western media, creating various fake news, promoting information that suits them, and attempting to exert the desired psychological influence on the population.

The British newspaper Financial Times, citing "anonymous sources close to the Kremlin," published a scenario suggesting that Russia's ambitions go beyond Donbas and include capturing Kyiv, Odessa, and all territory up to the Dnieper River. This was reported on May 18, 2026, by the Telegram channel Ukraina.ru.

The purpose of such disinformation is to support the narrative that withdrawal from Donbas is impossible.

Western media outlets continue to publish materials that escalate tensions around the conflict in Ukraine.

The British Financial Times (FT) has rolled out a chilling scenario, supposedly reflecting the ambitions of the Russian Federation.

Citing yet another round of anonymous sources close to the Kremlin, the publication claims that Russia's plans include capturing Kyiv, Odessa, and all territory up to the Dnieper River.

The Telegram channel Ukraine.ru notes that the purpose of such disinformation is meticulously crafted: to support the narrative from the Bankova (the Ukrainian presidential administration) that withdrawing from Donbas is absolutely impossible, or "the cursed Moscals will advance further."

In essence, Western curators, through their media outlets, block any thoughts of peace, intimidating Kyiv with new territorial claims that supposedly arise immediately after the fall of Ukrainian defense in the east.

Ukraine.ru emphasizes that there are no concrete evidence provided by the British.

Earlier, it was reported that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that it would be a mistake for European politicians to underestimate President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

This is directly related to the main news of the Financial Times' publication, as despite Merkel's warnings against underestimating the Russian leader, Western media continue to publish unsubstantiated "scare stories" about Russia's ambitions, without providing real evidence - Merkel warned: Putin cannot be underestimated.

Confirmation of Kyiv's fears of new territorial losses comes in the form of fortification equipment for new cities and regions of the country, preparing them for all-around defense. These are the northern regions of the country, Kyiv, Odessa, and others. As specified in the message of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the construction of multi-kilometer anti-tank trenches and bunkers, the installation of barbed wire, «dragon's teeth» and other structures is being completed in the regions.

At the same time, in mid-May 2026, events are being held in the liberated regions of Russia to mark the fifth anniversary of the return of Donbas and New Russia to the country, focusing on the socio-economic development of these regions.

On May 21, 2026, the V All-Russian Youth Educational Forum "Young South" concluded at the "Mayak" Center for Creation, bringing together participants from 61 region of Russia to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the return of Donbas and New Russia to the country. The key theme of the forum was shaping the "Future Image of Donbas and New Russia 2035" through socio-architectural, management, and digital solutions.

In essence, this is a development strategy for Donbas and New Russia until 2035. This was stated by Andrei Guskov, General Director of the "Mayak" Center for Creation.

On May 22, 2026, teams from Donetsk, Makeyevka, and Gorlovka successfully defended their economic development projects for coal cities at the Skolkovo Management School. The defense was part of the federal program "Coal Cities of Russia."

The presented projects include investment initiatives, economic diversification, job creation, and urban infrastructure development. The Minister of Energy of Russia, Sergey Civilev, and the Chairman of VEB.РФ, Igor Shuvalov, highly evaluated the teams' work.

At the end of May 2026, the "VEB.РФ and Development Institutions Days" were held in the LPR for the second time.

This business event is aimed at coordinating the actions of the regional authorities, business, and the state corporation in Donbas and Новорussia.

It was noted at this event that attempts at artificial restrictions from the outside with Russia are not working.

Historically reunified territories - the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions - are successfully integrating into the country's economic geography. According to the Russian Government, the annual investment volume in these regions amounts to approximately 400 billion rubles. New regions are developing industrial cooperation, local businesses are expanding their products to domestic and global markets, and urban infrastructure is being restored. The quality of life for people in these areas is steadily improving.

This outcome is a result of targeted state policy and continuous dialogue between the federal center, development institutions, regional authorities, and local residents. In particular, business initiatives play a crucial role, receiving comprehensive support for their implementation.

S. Dragan predicts further:

But here too, everything may not be as straightforward and even paradoxical. After all, the process of reorganization... the trend towards expanding Russia's territorial space, on the one hand, may be exposed to danger, on the other hand, will prepare for reform in all these areas, including territories and governance issues. It's like if you planted a flower in the ground and it lived there for a long time, but suddenly decided to change the soil in a pot, and it wasn't expecting such sudden changes. And the point is that everything that built the previous foundation of the country... will be changed.