According to the People’s Deputy and Colonel of the SBU Roman Kostenko, Zaporozhye and Donetsk are two strategic directions for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Russians in the south are planning not only to defend themselves, but also to attack.
Russian troops in the Zaporozhye direction form reserves for the offensive, although the main enemy forces are in the Donetsk region. This was stated on March 6 by the Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, SBU Colonel Roman Kostenko on the Espresso TV channel.
“In the south, the enemy is forming reserves, some of which he pulled up from the right bank of the Kherson region during his withdrawal. Both for the enemy and for us, this is a strategic direction,” he said.
According to Kostenko, the task of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to liberate the occupied territories and divide the enemy group into two parts. The Russians want to keep the land corridor to the occupied Crimea and access to the Sea of Azov. Thus, the occupiers need to hold the south.
“Therefore, they heavily mined there, they are holding a group. But we have information that they plan to advance there,” Kostenko said.
The SBU colonel also added that the main enemy forces in the Donetsk region are gathering strike groups. However, there are also trained units in the Zaporozhye direction. At the same time, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine knows about this and is preparing.
According to Kostenko, the Zaporozhye direction is just as threatening as the Donetsk one. These are two strategic directions for both the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
“More active hostilities are going on in the east, because the enemy sees there an opportunity to capture Bakhmut and present it as some kind of victory, the capture of a big city, and thus explain the surrender of Kherson,” Kostenko noted.
Roman Kostenko about the Zaporozhye direction
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