Ukraine likely preparing to advance towards in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, military analyst says
The possibility of the Ukrainian military offensive will depend on the weather, said CIT analyst Kyrylo Mykhailov (Photo:REUTERS/Anna Voitenko)
The Ukrainian military looks like it’s preparing for an offensive towards Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, military analyst Kyrylo Mykhailov said in an interview with NV Radio on Dec. 14.
According to them, Ukraine is currently engaging in the same disruption of Russian command and supply lines near Melitopol that it did around Kherson shortly before launching the operation to liberate the city.
Mykhailov added that Zaporizhzhia Oblast is one of the two obvious directions Kyiv could be looking to advance in – the second one is the Svatove-Kreminna line in Luhansk Oblast, where fighting has been ongoing for a while.
As the frontline in Zaporizhzhia Oblast is very long, Russian troops likely didn’t manage to erect as many defensives there as they did in Luhansk Oblast, the expert said.
“And, most likely, it is equipped with fortifications only in some strategic areas,” said Mykhailov.
“Take the city of Melitopol for example: it provides the possibility for Ukrainian mobile mechanized forces to bypass and create a so-called pocket, surrounding the Russians, or forcing them to retreat. This is what we observed in Kharkiv Oblast, and to a certain extent – in Kherson Oblast as well. Theoretically, it’s possible to repeat that.”
At the same time, Mykhailov stressed that any potential offensive would have to wait until the soil freezes, enabling wheeled military vehicles to facilitate maneuver tactics and agile supply lines.
On Dec. 15, The Economist published an interview with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in which he said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing for a major military operation on one of the axes.
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