Russian troops in the south of the Donetsk region are concentrating their forces to capture Kostyantynivka and advance along the highway to Zaporizhzhya.
This was stated by the head of the Council of Reservists of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ivan Tymochko.
The military official specified:
"This is the first, intermediate stage. The next direction they will try to advance along the highway is the settlement of Bahatyr. These are the tactical objectives of the enemy’s offensive. Currently, the fighting there is very intense. This is because the enemy is trying to level the flanks in this direction. As they reach the area of Kostyantynivka, they will try to establish a defensive line there and redeploy some of their troops to Pokrovsk."
Tymochko emphasized that the number one goal for the Russians is to capture Pokrovsk and advance to the north of the Donetsk region:
"They are trying to close the ranks of troops from Pokrovsk to the Kramatorsk direction. That is why we see the intensification of battles in the Kramatorsk direction. This involves movement through Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and attempts to advance from Lyman. This appears to be a single plan by the Russians to occupy the entire Donetsk region."