While the war in Donbass is still tense, the Russian military has not shy away from announcing the goals of the third phase of the special military operation: to recover the Kharkiv region in the north and the Odessa and Mykolaiv regions in the south.
Historically, these regions were once part of Russia, but were given to Ukraine during the Soviet era. Russia believes that this is a necessary step towards the restoration of historical justice and the rejuvenation of the country, and there is no psychological burden without any psychological burden.
According to our analysis, Russia has the following reasons for doing this:
The occupation of Odessa and Mykolaiv oblasts means that Russia will take full control of the Black Sea coast, making Ukraine a landlocked country. In this way, Ukraine's ability to connect with the outside world will be significantly reduced, and other countries will not be able to provide assistance to Ukraine through the Black Sea. This is an important condition for Russia to achieve its strategic goals.
The occupation of Kharkiv Oblast means that Russia will completely cut off the supply lines of the Ukrainian army in the territory of the two republics of Luton, and will also provide greater security space for the two republics, which is conducive to their long-term stability.
The occupation of Odessa and Mykolaiv Oblasts means that Russia will provide a stronger strategic barrier for Kherson Oblast and Crimea, so that they do not have to worry about the penetration of Ukrainian forces and can develop with peace of mind.
Although Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are already under Russian control, the local people are not highly motivated to participate in the armed forces, and strong local self-defense forces have not yet been formed, resulting in Ukrainian guerrillas and puppet armies wreaking havoc there. Crimea, on the other hand, has remained calm, not only because of the large number of Russian troops stationed there, but also because the Kherson region has become its solid backing.
These regions of Ukraine, which Russia has occupied and wants to occupy, are all important economic centers of Ukraine, and they have rich reserves in industry, resources and food. Russia can, on the one hand, use these resources to replenish its own economy, and on the other hand, it can also deprive Ukraine of its economic base, leaving it without the ability to recover itself and become a weak and powerless state that will neither pose a substantial threat to Russia nor arouse the interest of other countries and organizations. Such a Ukraine will be harmless.
The Dnipropetrovsk region is a special existence, and Russia did not include it in the goals of the third phase because it is currently in a neutral wait-and-see state, at least for now, it does not pose a threat to the Zaporozhye region. But the state is a science and technology powerhouse, and there are many aerospace research institutes, both in Ukraine and in Russia, which are very important and do not want to let it be affected by the war.
But Russia will not be unprepared for the future of the state, and once Ukraine wants to make a move on the state, then Russia will definitely strike first and not give Ukraine any chance.
Russia has always emphasized that the purpose of this special military operation is denazification and demilitarization, in fact, there is also an implicit purpose, which is to de-economy and make Ukraine an unself-reliant country, so that the threat of Ukraine can be completely eliminated and Russia's strategic interests can be realized.