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Lavrov widens Russia's stated war aims
Summary
A look back at the days around 21 July 2022, when Moscow's stated goals grew beyond the Donbas and Kyiv reshuffled its security leadership.
What did Russia say it was fighting for by 21 July 2022? Judging by the days just before that date, the answer had grown considerably.
On 20 July 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his country's military goals were no longer limited to the Donbas region. They now also included, in his words, the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region and a number of other territories. It was a notable shift from the line that had accompanied earlier Russian military orders. Days before, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu had ordered the military to expand operations in Ukraine in order to protect the Donbas.
Administration in the occupied south
The widening rhetoric was matched by administrative moves. On 18 July 2022, Russia announced Anton Koltsov, former Prime Minister of Vologda Oblast, as the new Prime Minister in the Zaporizhzhia Military-Civilian Administration. His appointment probably took place some days earlier.
Strikes and a power plant
The fighting continued to reach civilians. On 16 July 2022, Russian missiles struck the city of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv Oblast, killing three civilians and injuring three others, while more than 50 Grad rockets hit Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, killing two people. The same day, the president of Energoatom, the Ukrainian nuclear energy authority, accused Russian forces of using the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to store weapons and shell the surrounding area.
Turmoil in Kyiv
Ukraine was also dealing with problems at home. On 18 July 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova and the top security official of the Security Service of Ukraine, Ivan Bakanov. More than 60 officials from the agencies were alleged to be working with Russia, and 651 cases of alleged treason and collaboration were initiated against prosecutorial and law enforcement officials.
Why it mattered
Taken together, these reports describe a Russia declaring larger territorial aims in the south while building administrative structures there, and a Ukraine confronting alleged collaboration inside its own security and prosecutorial bodies while under continued bombardment.
