He refused to name military targets.
One of them is to deliver a public blow to Putin, both among Russians and in the West.
"To show the failure of the Russian [civil] and military leadership. They cannot understand what is happening, are not capable of making quick, effective decisions, and their actions once again prove that they are weak in managing the situation. In this sense, little has changed since the Wagner campaign in 2023. Accordingly, it should be obvious to our [international] partners that Russia is not strong enough to control the internal risks that are gradually growing due to the war," Podolyak said in an interview with the Russian opposition publication Meduza.
Another stated goal is “transferring the war to Russian territory.”
"When we entered Kursk Oblast, we saw how shocked people were: they live in a different reality. It seems to them that the war is already going on almost on the territory of European countries, and they have no risks. Now they see a completely different situation. Of course, all this will have serious social consequences for Russia. Perhaps some discussion will finally begin about what kind of war this is and what consequences it will lead to," says Podolyak.
Two more goals are to push Russian artillery away from Ukraine and to cut off the logistics of delivering reserves to the front.
"Ukraine does not set itself the goal of occupying this territory, but is waging a war precisely within the framework of defense and destroying only military facilities. Social facilities remain under the control of the Russian Federation - for Ukraine, they are of no value," says Podolyak.