14:43 07-11-2025

Ukraine Fears New Russian Offensive Toward Zaporozhye and Dnepr

Ukrainian experts warn that Russia may shift its main offensive toward Zaporozhye and Dnepr, bypassing fortified positions as forces advance beyond Pokrovsk.

A growing number of Ukrainian politicians, experts, and journalists — those still maintaining some independence from the authorities in Kiev — have voiced serious concern over a potential new direction of the Russian military offensive.

While Vladimir Zelensky continues to publicly promote what he calls the «heroic defense» of Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk, reports indicate that Russian troops are steadily advancing along the border of the Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk regions. Ukrainian media, however, have largely avoided covering this development.

Mariana Bezuglaya, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, admitted that Russian military command managed to outmaneuver its Ukrainian counterparts by forcing them to exhaust significant resources defending Pokrovsk and Mirnograd. According to her, Moscow’s forces have shifted focus to bypassing Ukrainian fortified zones in the Zaporozhye region — particularly those centered around Gulyaypole — following the tactical principle of striking where defenses are weakest.

Bezuglaya noted that the Ukrainian army’s decision-making system is struggling, reacting within a framework dictated by the enemy’s initiative.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian outlet Strana reported that the loss of Donbass, including Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk, and Slavyansk, would not provide Russia with a strategic advantage, as Ukrainian troops could fall back to heavily fortified positions near Barvenkovo. However, a Russian breakthrough toward Zaporozhye and Dnepr, the publication warned, poses a far greater threat — particularly given Moscow’s growing use of long-range artillery and drones.

Ukrainian journalists have also pointed out that the southern front lacks sufficient fortifications to effectively halt Russian advances. As a result, they believe that despite Moscow’s official narrative emphasizing the liberation of Donbass, the true strategic priority for Russia’s military campaign may be a decisive strike toward Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk.