Russia May Escalate Strikes on Ukraine, Kremlin Sources Say

Russia is preparing to escalate attacks on Kyiv, including the center of the capital, after reportedly concluding that peace negotiations have “reached a dead end.” According to Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources close to the Kremlin, Moscow is also considering intensifying conventional ballistic missiles attacks on other infrastructure targets across Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to the sources, all attempts at negotiations have effectively collapsed, leaving Ukraine and Russia back at square one. NATO involvement Moscow increasingly sees Ukrainian strikes as attacks by NATO, because alliance members are supplying Kyiv with weapons and intelligence, Bloomberg’s sources said. “The current stage of hostilities isn’t the peak of military escalation,” according to the sources. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said on June 6 that NATO must remain prepared for worst-case scenarios, describing Russia as dangerous and unpredictable and arguing that Russia’s next move was hard to predict. Meanwhile, EU countries on NATO’s eastern flank, including the Baltic states, are increasingly preparing for the possibility of Ukraine’s war spilling over onto their territory. Concerns have grown as drones have repeatedly violated the airspace of countries such as Romania, Poland, and Moldova, while Russia itself continues to prepare its youth for a conflict with NATO by 2030. Russian hybrid threats and cyberattacks have also increased in the past months. Other Topics of Interest Trump Says US ‘Working Very Hard’ to End War in Ukraine Amid CIA Chief’s Visit to Moscow The US president said John Ratcliffe travelled to Russia on a routine trip, while the Kremlin said the CIA director did not meet Putin. Moscow sees very few alternatives Bloomberg’s sources said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was unlikely to end the war because of EU-imposed sanctions or Ukrainian attacks on critical oil, energy infrastructure and logistics networks. Four people close to the Kremlin said Russia now sees few alternatives to further escalation as it seeks to achieve its military objectives. According to Bloomberg, Russian authorities are hoping that a visit by US Special Envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff could bring new proposals, though expectations for a diplomatic breakthrough during the visit remain low. Russia may be considering a nuclear option A growing number of Russian officials now believe Putin could eventually opt to use tactical nuclear weapons as a last resort in Ukraine. “An extreme response is viewed as possible because the only outcome worse than continuing the war for Putin would be losing it,” Bloomberg reported, adding that there is currently no indication that Russia is preparing to use the weapons. CIA chief visits Moscow The warning that Russia may escalate strikes on Ukraine comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow on Tuesday, Aug. 25, after flying from Riga. Flight-tracking data indicated that the C-17 Globemaster III is a military transport aircraft first arrived in Riga on Sunday, Aug. 23, after departing from Camp Springs, Maryland, home to Andrews Air Force Base. “We have no information about this,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the aircraft, adding that Russia was not planning meetings with the US administration. According to Peskov, Putin and Ratcliffe did not meet. The Kremlin later confirmed the visit, saying there had been “talks between the intelligence services.” Axios, citing two anonymous US officials, reported that Washington had informed Kyiv ahead of the visit that a high-level US delegation was traveling to Moscow and had asked Ukraine to refrain from strikes on the Russian capital. While the purpose of the trip remains unclear, analysts suggest Ratcliffe’s meeting with Russian intelligence may have been related to the war in Ukraine, broader security concerns, or even the US-Iran conflict. On the same day as Ratcliffe’s visit, Putin signed three undisclosed decrees. The decrees, numbered 605, 606 and 607, were signed but not published, leaving their contents unknown. US President Donald Trump said Wednesday, Aug. 26, that Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow could produce results as Washington seeks to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.“We would like to see the Ukraine war end,” Trump said, adding that his administration was “working very hard to get that war ended.” “Something may come out of it,” he continued. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.