Ukraine anticipates Russian offensive in Zaporizhzhia region
Russian armed forces are reportedly planning offensive actions in certain areas of the Zaporizhzhia region, but there is no immediate threat to Zaporizhzhia city, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the NSDC.
Kovalenko emphasized the importance of distinguishing between the Zaporizhzhia region and the city itself. He stated that while Russian forces are indeed stepping up activity in certain regional directions, Ukraine's defense forces are prepared to meet these challenges.
Discussing the scale of the threat, Kovalenko noted that for a successful assault on Zaporizhzhia city, the Russian army lacks the necessary resources.
"The enemy is indeed preparing for specific actions in the Zaporizhzhia region, to which our defense forces are also ready. However, they currently lack the resources for an assault on the city of Zaporizhzhia. That's an entirely different scale in terms of resources and manpower than the enemy currently possesses," he stated.
Kovalenko also mentioned that some experts have unfortunately twisted the words of military personnel when commenting on the Zaporizhzhia situation and urged the media not to do so.
The preparation of Russians for offensive actions in the Zaporizhzhia direction was also discussed on November 30 by Oleksiy Khilchenko, commander of the 3rd Operational Assignment Brigade of Ukraine's National Guard. Khilchenko stated signs are pointing to this, as the Russians are undertaking "various movement and preparation activities."
"Their troop movements are very covert. They know how to fight and do so as stealthily as they succeed. Nonetheless, we detect their maneuvers, understand where units are being deployed... There is an accumulation. Reconnaissance units are compiling this information… and we anticipate their active steps in one of the directions," Khilchenko explained.
Western outlets have also covered the regional situation. Journalists at The Economist reported on November 24 that Russians under Zaporizhzhia initially planned to deploy 20-30 thousand soldiers in an offensive but eventually dispatched half to the Kursk region.