Russian President Vladimir Putin promoted Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev to Colonel-General this week in a move that could provide alarming hints about the Kremlin’s plans for the future of the war in Ukraine. Mordvichev, who has been commanding the Central Military District and Russian Central Grouping of Forces in Ukraine, was recently quoted in an interview, which aired in late July, suggesting that Russia has plans to possibly expand the war in Ukraine to Eastern Europe. When asked about the length of the war in Ukraine, Mordvichev responded that he has an understanding that Russia has to attack Eastern Europe. “If we’re talking about Eastern Europe, which we’ll have to attack, it will be longer and longer,” Mordvichev said. When asked if Ukraine is “only an intermediate stage,” Mordvichev replied that Ukraine is just a stepping stone to other attacks. Putin likely promoted him to “reward loyalty and obedience to the senior Russian military command,” according to a report from the Institute for the Study of War. “Mordvichev may hold more of Putin’s favor than other military district commanders.”