"If the west continues to pump Ukraine full of weaponry out of impotent rage or a desire to exacerbate the situation [ . . .] then that means our geographical tasks will move even further from the current line," -Lavrov
By Tyler Durden: With the Donbas region now largely under control of Russian forces five months into the invasion... is Moscow setting its sights on the rest of Ukraine? It appears this could be the case, based on provocative Wednesday remarks by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, captured in a fresh FT report.
"Russia’s foreign minister said Moscow had expanded its aims for its invasion of Ukraine, the strongest sign yet that it seeks to annex parts of the country currently under its control," FT introduces, citing that:
Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Russia’s goals were more ambitious than Moscow had declared at the start of the operation in February, when it claimed its goal was to "liberate" the eastern Donbas border region. Moscow’s war aims now extend to the provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, which are mostly occupied by Russian forces, Lavrov said.