Retired navy captain and military analyst Vasily Dandykin warns that any fight for Zaporozhye is likely to be hard and costly. In his view, Russian troops will not be able to move on the city itself until they first seize Orekhov, which he describes as a major fortified stronghold of Ukrainian forces.

Dandykin points out that two Russian groupings are now operating in the Zaporozhye region. On the left flank, the «Dnepr» grouping has come closest to the southern outskirts of Zaporozhye, while from the opposite direction the «Vostok» grouping is advancing after taking Gulyaypole and pushing further toward Orekhov, as cited by Lenta.ru.

The expert also underscores that Zaporozhye straddles both banks of the Dnepr. Even if the Russian army were to secure the right-bank part of the city, it would still have to force the river to establish control over the left bank. He expresses hope that the operation will not turn into a protracted campaign and notes that Russian forces already have access to the Dnepr on this stretch of the front, including the area of Energodar, where the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is located.

Earlier, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported that Russian troops are advancing toward Zaporozhye. According to his assessment, the offensive is ongoing, and the distance to the city’s outskirts is currently about 12–14 kilometers.