Russia is preparing to intensify attacks on Ukraine after the Kremlin concluded that negotiations to end the war have reached a dead end, according to people close to Moscow’s leadership.
Russia Might Rain More Ballistic Missiles on Kyiv
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, zero their M1 Abrams tank’s sighting system during gunnery training operations at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, May 30, 2026. Zeroing the tank’s sights allows armored crews to confirm accuracy, build crew proficiency and prepare for follow-on engagements during live-fire training. (U.S. Army video by Spc. Thomas Madrzak)
A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) with the 1st Battalion, 181st Field Artillery Regiment fires toward a designated target at Yausubetsu Training Area, Hokkaido, Japan on Sept. 20, 2023. U.S. Army soldiers and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) members participated in showcasing their artillery prowess in front of VIPs and dignitaries. (Photo by U.S. Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Ryan S. Gay)
On Thursday, the U.S. business outlet Bloomberg said Moscow was mulling over whether to deploy harsher conventional ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv.
They also claimed Russia was considering wider attacks on infrastructure across the country going forward.
Three sources close to the Kremlin also told the outlet that Moscow could escalate fighting on the ground.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia fired some 258 drones toward cities, ports and industrial sites.
They estimated that one-third of the drones were jet-powered, while a pair of Oniks ship-killers, Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and Banderol cruise missiles were also used.
Ukrainian forces said they shot down or suppressed hundreds of projectiles using their scarce interceptor supplies.
Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of having “opened this Pandora’s box,” warning that Kyiv could expect “blowback on your most sensitive sectors of the economy.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pushed back Thursday against the suggestion that Russia was deliberately pursuing a broader military escalation, while confirming that retaliation against Ukrainian economic targets would be severe.
“Ukraine is trying to hit our economic infrastructure, our trading infrastructure,” Peskov told Bloomberg, promising a “heavy response.” But he added: “We simply don’t need it because we are advancing anyway.”
Ukraine has sharply expanded long-range attacks against Russian oil refineries and logistics facilities in recent weeks.
The campaign has damaged refining capacity and hit warehouses belonging to Russian e-commerce companies including Wildberries and Ozon.
The Institute for the Study of War said on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had struck the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and destroyed a Wildberries logistics center in Tambov Oblast.
Kyiv has continued its targeting of Russian military sites. On August 16, Ukraine announced that it struck a missile-fuel production facility in Russia’s Rostov region.
The Ukrainian military said the plant produces rocket propellant used to operate multiple-launch rocket systems, missiles, and other airborne weapons.
Peace Talks On Ice As Winter Looms
Bloomberg has also alleged that Moscow is ditching what it previously touted as an understanding between Putin and President Donald Trump dating back to their Alaska talks last August.
Following this landmark summit, the Kremlin had thought Washington could be poised to push Ukraine into ceding its remaining, highly fortified territory in Donetsk Oblast — which Russia has failed to seize.
Kyiv continues to reject any deal which would involve this handover.
Such a land transfer is forbidden under its constitution, unless approved by a national referendum.
The ground operations on both sides are cumbersome and slow. Russia’s key Spring-Summer 2026 offensive has been focused on the northern and southern ends of Ukraine’s “Fortress Belt” in Donetsk, especially the cities of Slovyansk and Kostyantynivka.
Glide-bomb, drone, and multiple-launch rocket system attacks close to Slovyansk are already being used to interfere with Ukrainian logistics ahead of any fresh ground operations.
ISW still notes that Russian advances near Kostyantynivka would not offer it a hasty breakthrough. Ukrainian forces have also made recent gains close to Dobropillya and Kupyansk.
Military analyst Franz-Stefan Gady recently told the WSJ that Moscow appears to be relying on the theory that “pain plus exhaustion produces political capitulation.” History, he added, suggests instead that “sustained air attack hardens societies rather than breaking them.”
Moscow Gearing-Up for Mobilization, Kyiv Claims
Ukraine, meanwhile, says Russia may be preparing to mobilize vast numbers of additional troops.
Kyiv warned this week that Russia could be preparing to mobilize another 300,000 troops following elections on September 18, 19 and 20.
The Wall Street Journal said Western intelligence officials believe Moscow’s military authorities have already conducted exercises across Russia to test their ability to take on such a large number of recruits.
It has been four years since Vladimir Putin ordered 300,000 reservists to mobilize in September 2022. The move prompted huge backlash and caused hundreds of thousands of Russians to leave the country.
There has also been speculation that Russia could use a tactical nuclear strike at some point in the future.
Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told Bloomberg that the risk remains “extremely low.”
“As long as Moscow has room to escalate with conventional weapons,” he said, it has “little incentive to cross the nuclear threshold.”
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
