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Zelensky’s 40-day plan opens 'portal to hell' for Ukraine — Duma member

Senior Russian lawmakers have said that Ukraine's 40-day plan to pressure Moscow has prompted Russia to intensify attacks on Ukrainian logistics and energy infrastructure, leaving the country in a critical situation. They also accused Kyiv of committing terrorist acts against civilians, a claim that is part of the ongoing conflict narrative.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 27 – Aug 4, 2026 Published Aug 14

Russian Lawmakers Say Ukraine's 40-Day Plan Met With Intensified Strikes

Two senior Russian lawmakers have issued stark warnings about the ongoing conflict, linking Ukraine's military strategy to a Russian escalation that they say has left Kyiv in a precarious position. Speaking to TASS, the officials detailed a shift in Russia's military approach and leveled serious accusations against the Ukrainian leadership.

Escalation of Strikes

Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma's International Affairs Committee and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, told TASS that the implementation of what he called President Volodymyr Zelensky's 40-day plan had led Russia to alter the nature of its "special military operation." According to Slutsky, Moscow has intensified strikes on logistics hubs and Ukraine's energy infrastructure, systematically cutting off weapons supply routes. He warned that Ukraine could face its worst winter yet, adding that Zelensky had "opened this 'portal to hell' for Ukrainians."

The lawmaker's comments echo a similar sentiment expressed by Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Russian State Duma. Volodin, speaking at a plenary meeting, said that Russian forces are successfully advancing and that the enemy is suffering defeat along the entire line of engagement. He attributed what he described as Ukrainian attacks on civilians to Kyiv's desperation.

Accusations of Terrorist Tactics

Both officials accused the Ukrainian government of targeting civilians. Slutsky specifically cited a strike on a college in Starobelsk, a drone attack on a beach near Gelendzhik, and bombings of public transportation as examples of what he called "terrorist attacks." He described these acts as "monstrous, vile murders" committed "for the sake of show for the Western public," alleging that Kyiv has adopted "tactics of targeted terror and escalating war crimes" to preserve what he termed "Zelensky's dictatorship."

Volodin similarly said that "Kiev's bloody neo-Nazi regime" is committing crimes against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure, attempting to create tension in Russian society and sow panic.

Claims of Russian Advances

Slutsky maintained that Ukrainian forces have not achieved any success on the battlefield, asserting that Russian troops are "consistently advancing, liberating Russian land in Donbass." Volodin echoed this, saying that the enemy is being defeated along the full front line.

These statements come amid an ongoing conflict that has seen both sides claim military gains and accuse the other of targeting civilians. The reports from TASS, a Russian state news agency, reflect the official Kremlin perspective on the war.

Perspectives

Russian Official Position: Both lawmakers frame Russia's actions as a necessary response to Ukrainian aggression, deny Ukrainian military progress, and accuse Kyiv of committing acts of terrorism against civilians, while portraying Russian strikes as aimed at undermining Ukraine's military capabilities.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of Aug 4, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC

Framing: Russia's response to Ukraine's 40-day plan — Condemning Ukraine's actions

Facts Included:

Vladimir Zelensky's 40-day plan
Russian Armed Forces' intensified attacks on Ukraine's logistics and energy sectors
Ukraine's critical situation
Terrorist attacks against civilians by the Kiev regime
Russian troops' advancement in Donbass

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TASS — English as of Jul 27, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC

Framing: Russia's progress in the special military operation — Confident and assertive

Facts Included:

Russian Armed Forces' advancement
Enemy's defeat along the entire line of engagement
Kiev's attempts to create tension in Russian society
Need for strategic restraint and unity

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What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimVladimir Zelensky has a 40-day plan to put pressure on Moscow. The Russian Armed Forces have stepped up attacks on Ukraine's logistics and energy sectors in response.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Aug 4, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC
ClaimThe Russian Armed Forces' intensified attacks on Ukraine's logistics and energy sectors have put Ukraine in a critical situation.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Aug 4, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC
ClaimThe Kiev regime has focused its efforts on terrorist attacks against civilians as part of Zelensky's 40-day plan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Aug 4, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC
ClaimRussian troops are consistently advancing and liberating Russian land in Donbass.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Aug 4, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC
ClaimThe enemy is suffering defeat along the entire line of engagement, and Kiev is trying to create tension in Russian society.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 27, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: TASS — English 5 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14