The main topic of the last ballot of the Washington Institute for the Study of War is the statements of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin of December 25, in which some saw a hint of readiness for negotiations.
ISW writes that this is an erroneous interpretation: Putin spoke about the possibility of negotiations on the fate (section) of Ukraine with the West, as before. The Russian leader did not talk about negotiations directly with Ukraine, and in general Putin’s words indicate that he still does not consider Ukraine a capable of independent actions.
ISW also draws attention to the message of the Main Directorate of Ukraine of Ukraine that the protein-Lieutenant General Yevgeny Nikiforov was appointed new commander of the Western Military District. ISW writes that Nikiforov’s connections with Wagner can be traced to the Russian hybrid campaign in the Donbass in 2014-2015. According to the Bellingcat investigation, at that time he was the chief of staff of the 58th Army, which formed the basis of the separatist forces and their material base. The SBU also found out that it was Nikiforov who ordered Dmitry Utkin (the more famous “Wagner”, which gradually began to be perceived as the name of the entire PRC Prigozhin) to knock down the IL-76 transport aircraft in June 2014.