The enemy also understands this and accumulates his troops in this direction.

People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, SBU Colonel Roman Kostenko said that the Zaporizhia direction is now key for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On the air of the national telethon, Kostenko noted that the enemy also understands this and is accumulating his troops in this direction.

“If we go on the offensive and cut the enemy’s troops in the direction of Melitopol-Berdyansk, then in fact Crimea will become an island that is supplied only through the Kerch bridge, which we will be able to hit,” the colonel explained.

Kostenko also doubts the realism of the interventionists’ plans to seize Donetsk and Luhansk regions by March 1. In his opinion, such statements are more of an information operation.

“With the forces and means that are concentrated in the east on both sides, this is unlikely. Given the weather conditions, the availability of weapons. This is more of an information operation to bind our forces, to force us to maneuver. They have not been able to take Bakhmut and Soledar for many months, The capture of Donetsk Oblast is not realistic at the moment,” the People’s Deputy summarized.

Threats to the Zaporizhzhia region

Since the beginning of the war, the Russian invaders occupied about 60% of the territory of the Zaporizhzhia region, held a fake referendum and announced the accession of this territory to the Russian Federation.

The occupiers are terrorizing the Ukrainian-controlled part of the region with rocket and artillery fire. The other day, the collaborator Yevgeny Balytskyi, appointed by the Russians as the “governor” of the region, announced the intentions of the invaders to “liberate” the entire Zaporizhzhia region. According to his forecast, the fighting may begin already in the spring.

As of mid-January, the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces in this direction had not been launched. At the moment, Ukrainian soldiers are striking the concentration of the occupiers and eliminating the equipment and manpower that the enemy is charging to Zaporozhye.