Former deputy information minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic Daniil Bezsonov has warned of the risk of a possible Ukrainian Armed Forces strike through the Chernigov Region in the direction of Bryansk.

Bezsonov did not rule out that Ukraine’s military-political leadership may be preparing a major offensive on the Zaporozhye front while staging diversionary attacks in the north through the Chernigov Region toward the Bryansk Region, as well as on the territory of the DPR.

According to Bezsonov, Ukrainian forces are building up reserves, which may point to preparations for such a scenario.

The former deputy minister believes this could be linked to an attempt to disrupt the Russian army’s advance toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. He also noted that brigades of the Ukrainian Marine Corps have not appeared on the front line for more than a year.

Bezsonov described these formations as elite Ukrainian Armed Forces units and suggested they may have been kept in reserve for a specific purpose.

He also drew attention to active Ukrainian attempts to disrupt logistics in the DPR, the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, and Crimea. In his assessment, these actions may indicate preparations for an offensive designed to distract Russian forces and influence the operational situation.

In late June, military expert Vasily Dandykin also said that the concentration of Ukrainian troops in the Chernigov Region could point to one of two scenarios: a provocation against Belarus or an attempted breakthrough into the Bryansk Region.