Ukraine

I see this as being a strategy to pull resources away from the counter offensive on Mariupol and Melitopol. Putin knows that without the land bridge into Crimea, Russia cannot reliably supply their presence on the peninsula.

If he loses that resupply line, the Black Sea fleet at Sevastopol will be weakened. The way Putin sees it, use 'em while you got 'em and hope it buys you time on the mainland for winter.