https://sputnikglobe.com/20260704/russia-ultimately-is-going-to-retake-kiev--ex-cia-officer-1124392381.html
'Russia Ultimately Is Going to Retake Kiev” — Ex-CIA Officer
'Russia Ultimately Is Going to Retake Kiev” — Ex-CIA Officer
Sputnik International
“They will also retake Odessa. They will push to the Dnepr River and possibly in certain locations extend beyond that,” retired CIA intelligence officer and former State Department official Larry Johnson told Sputnik, commenting on Russia’s recent liberation of Konstantinovka.
2026-07-04T04:50+0000
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President Vladimir Putin has made clear that Russian forces must minimize civilian casualties, while Western attacks deeper into Russian territory will only lead Russia to expand the security buffer zone further, the analyst noted.Johnson said the liberation of Konstantinovka puts Russian forces in position to envelop Slavyansk and Kramatorsk — the two remaining Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk People’s Republic.The conflict has entered a new phase, with Russia pressing more aggressively while Western escalation only hardens Russian resolve, Johnson stressed.
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'Russia Ultimately Is Going to Retake Kiev' — Ex-CIA Officer
Sputnik International
Retired CIA intelligence officer and former State Department official Larry Johnson told Sputnik that Russia is expanding its security buffer zone while continuing operations to secure the Donetsk People’s Republic and push west in Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk and Kherson regions.
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larry johnson, russia, konstantinovka, odessa, ukrainian crisis, ukrainian conflict, russian forces, video
'Russia Ultimately Is Going to Retake Kiev” — Ex-CIA Officer
04:50 GMT 04.07.2026 (Updated: 05:06 GMT 04.07.2026) “They will also retake Odessa. They will push to the Dnepr River and possibly in certain locations extend beyond that,” retired CIA intelligence officer and former State Department official Larry Johnson told Sputnik, commenting on Russia’s recent liberation of Konstantinovka.
President Vladimir Putin has made clear that Russian forces must minimize civilian casualties, while Western attacks deeper into Russian territory will only lead Russia to expand the security buffer zone further, the analyst noted.
Johnson said the liberation of Konstantinovka puts Russian forces in position to envelop Slavyansk and Kramatorsk — the two remaining Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
“Once those are secured, once they fall, then Donetsk [People’s Republic] will be completely free,” he said.
The conflict has entered a new phase, with Russia pressing more aggressively while Western escalation only hardens Russian resolve, Johnson stressed.
