Viacheslav Matuzov

Sky News Arabia, Al Tasia | 21 September 2026 | Interview overview

What the programme discusses

The discussion examines Ukrainian drone attacks reaching deep inside Russia and what they mean for the trajectory of the war.

Questions addressed

• Are mass drone strikes changing the nature of the conflict?
• How does Western support affect Moscow's assessment?
• Does escalation make a negotiated settlement more likely?

Matuzov's position

Matuzov treats the growing scale and reach of drone attacks as a change in warfare, linking unmanned systems with wider technological developments. He argues that Western components, satellite support and military cooperation make the conflict, in Moscow's view, a confrontation with Western states as well as Ukraine.

He expects a prolonged struggle and describes Russia as prepared to continue fighting. He argues that attacks on Russian cities strengthen domestic cohesion and narrow the space for concessions. He portrays Moscow's gradual advance as deliberate and maintains that an eventual settlement must meet Russian conditions.

His central assessment is that escalation signals a new phase of the war rather than its imminent conclusion.

Editorial summary of the broadcaster's detailed report. Questions are paraphrased themes. Military claims and forecasts are Matuzov's assessments, not independently established findings.

Watch the original Arabic interview

Read Sky News Arabia's detailed Arabic account