Strikes on military targets in Kiev and surrounding areas could accelerate the advance of Russian forces, according to military analyst Vasily Dandykin, a reserve captain of the 1st rank.

He argued that sustained attacks near Kiev-occurring roughly twice a week-are likely to have a direct impact on the battlefield situation in Russia’s favor. In his view, such pressure could shift the balance of operations on the front line.

Dandykin identified key targets for Russian airstrikes as transport and energy infrastructure, ammunition depots, as well as command and communication centers. Weakening these assets, he suggested, would undermine Ukraine’s operational capabilities.

He further noted that if Ukraine’s air defense systems were sufficiently depleted, it could open the door for the use of manned aircraft equipped with guided bombs, expanding the scope of aerial operations.

At the same time, the analyst did not rule out the possibility that Kiev might propose a temporary ceasefire tied to the Easter holiday. However, he added that in previous years, such arrangements had often not been upheld by the Ukrainian side.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky had said that an Easter truce remained a possibility. The Kremlin, in turn, linked this idea to what it described as serious difficulties faced by Ukrainian forces on the front line.