Retired lieutenant colonel and military expert Andrey Marochko believes Ukrainian forces are preparing to launch a counterattack on the Zaporozhskoe direction.

He reports that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is reinforcing its grouping in the area of the settlement of Komsomolskoe (known in Ukrainian usage as Gulyaypolskoe), moving in assault units formed from former prisoners.

Marochko says that to the southwest of the village of Gorkoe in Zaporozhskaya oblast there has recently been a noticeable increase in Ukrainian manpower on positions in forest belts located on strategic heights. He is convinced this buildup is not accidental and argues that Kiev intends to regain lost positions and try to stabilize the situation on the Zaporozhskoe sector.

Earlier, Russian units took control of the settlement of Veselyanka in Zaporozhskaya oblast. The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that the village was stormed by troops of the Dnepr grouping. On this section of the front, Ukrainian forces lost around 65 servicemen and several pieces of equipment.