Maybe Zelensky doesn’t have the political power to give direct orders but maybe he still has enough sway to heavily encourage something like this to happen.

Downside is, I don’t think its even a little bit an actual intentional strategy by Zelensky and it wouldn’t surprise me if it just prolongs the open warfare between Russia and Ukraine.

We’ll probably see something like this happen every time there starts being stories in the news about possible sit down talks to end the war that aren’t predicated on ridiculous demands like “Russia dissolves itself as a country” (or something equally silly) to push back the peace talks a few months. At least until Ukraine physically stops having enough people to push into the meat grinder.