Kupiansk, Sloviansk, Zaporizhzhia? Expert maps out potential Russian offensive on Ukrainian cities
Expert reveals map of potential Russian offensive (illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Russia has already launched its summer offensive — the enemy is becoming active in areas where it actually lacks the capability to do so, said military expert and retired Ukrainian Armed Forces major Oleksii Hetman in a comment to the YouTube channel of RBC-Ukraine.
"They cannot become active in any direction. They keep trying to activate, activate — in places where they simply cannot," Hetman said.
He recalled that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced the start of Russia's offensive early in the campaign. In April, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi also stated that the offensive had already begun — in the Northern-Slobozhanskyi direction.
According to the expert, Ukraine expects strikes on several sections of the front.
"The Supreme Commander-in-Chief said we expect action in the northern-southern Slobozhanskyi direction, possibly in the south — Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — and clearly in the Kupiansk-Lyman direction. On the eastern front, potential targets include Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Kostiantynivka," he said.
At the same time, Hetman emphasized that it is impossible to predict exactly where the Russians will launch an offensive. This is not due to intelligence issues, but rather the mobility of Russian troops, who can rapidly redeploy by rail.
"There are no secret reserves. They move troops along the front line and create numerical superiority there, trying to break through the front," he said.
He also noted that any army preparing for an offensive will advance at least partially — the only question is the depth of the breakthrough and the losses incurred.
"There has never been a case in history where an army prepared for an offensive, began it, and failed to advance," he added.
Situation on the frontline
Earlier, media reports indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had signaled to US President Donald Trump his intention to launch an offensive in eastern Ukraine over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces have fallen significantly behind their planned summer offensive schedule.
On June 26, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Ukrainian defenders had managed to halt Russian forces in the Sumy region.
