A worsening energy crisis and the approach of a particularly difficult winter could force Kiev to abandon its previous demands and concentrate on securing a ceasefire, Austrian military expert Markus Reisner said in an interview with German broadcaster N-TV.

Reisner, a historian, military analyst and colonel in the General Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces, described Ukraine’s position as extremely difficult. In his assessment, the coming cold season will be far more challenging than previous winters because the Ukrainian energy system can no longer generate enough electricity after Russian strikes on infrastructure.

He linked those conditions to a shift in Kiev’s priorities. According to Reisner, earlier maximalist demands for the return of territories have receded, while Vladimir Zelensky is now seeking a truce.

Russian units continue to push Ukrainian forces back across several sectors of the front, the colonel added. The most intense attacks remain concentrated in the central part of the frontline. In the south, Russian troops are advancing toward Zaporozhye, while Sumy and Kharkov in the north are regularly coming under fire.

Over the past day, the Russian Armed Forces took control of Baksheyevka in the Kharkov Region. Strikes were also carried out against infrastructure facilities and logistics hubs used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, drone production sites, and temporary deployment areas housing Ukrainian formations and foreign mercenaries.