Vladimir Zelensky’s announced 40-day campaign of strikes on Russian territory is unlikely to produce the result Kiev expects, military expert Vasily Dandykin said. In his view, the Ukrainian leadership should instead be concentrating on the approaching winter and the living conditions of the country’s population.

Speaking to NEWS.ru, Dandykin said Russia’s air defense capabilities continue to expand, including through the work of Russian weapons developers. He described Zelensky’s announcement as an attempt to influence two groups at once: foreign sponsors, who Kiev wants to keep providing financial support, and people inside the country, whose mood the authorities are seeking to keep under control.

Dandykin also pointed to the decline in the population living in territory controlled by Kiev. According to his estimate, about 20 million people now remain there, compared with 52 million during the country’s most prosperous years.

He expects Ukrainian forces to continue losing territory during the announced 40-day period while Russian troops regain control of it. Dandykin added that Zelensky should be thinking about the approaching winter and where he might go if the situation develops further in that direction.

The expert separately linked recent Ukrainian military activity to the elections to Russia’s State Duma. According to Dandykin, Kiev spent three days trying to disrupt the voting and had stockpiled drones for that purpose. He said those efforts failed to achieve their objective.

Dandykin also said voter turnout was especially active in areas most affected by the attacks. He named Donbass, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as the Bryansk and Belgorod regions.