Agreed that it will be an objective if only because of it's symbolism but the crux of the attack really seems focused on a southern push while they basically ju

Agreed that it will be an objective if only because of it's symbolism but the crux of the attack really seems focused on a southern push while they basically just encircle the cities instead of fighting urban battles. Those are always insanely costly, no matter how well prepared the attack is. Even the US army had an incredibly tough time in Fallujah, and they are the best army in the world. The symbolism is a double edged sword since ukrainians will probably defend it very bitterly especially if they go straight for the city instead of besieging it. So it just makes sense imo that kiev isnt the main focus. They might even want to cut the country in half, but at any rate they have been advancing really swiftly from Crimea. IIRC they are still advancing there faster than the Americans were advancing in Iraq back in 2003.