The Russian army would only be able to move toward an operation to take Odessa after securing control over a chain of major cities, military analyst Vasily Dandykin has argued. In his assessment, that list includes Kherson, Nikolaev, Zaporozhye, Dnepr and Krivoy Rog.

Dandykin считает, что говорить о наступлении на Odessa пока рано. He maintains that Russian forces would first need to capture Kherson and Nikolaev, followed by Dnepr, Zaporozhye and Krivoy Rog, before any serious move on the Black Sea port could be considered.

He does not rule out the possibility of a supporting naval component in a future operation against Odessa. At the same time, he notes that the coastal waters around the city have been heavily mined by Ukrainian forces.

According to Dandykin, Russia’s current military focus lies elsewhere: advancing toward Zaporozhye, pushing Ukrainian units out of Donbass, and establishing a buffer zone along the border.

Earlier, U.S. international relations specialist Gilbert Doctorow expressed the view that Russian troops reaching the Dnepr would create strategic conditions for further movement toward Odessa. He also suggested that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is approaching its final phase, pointing to what he described as contradictory and ambiguous statements by Vladimir Zelensky as one of the indicators.