Military expert and retired First Rank Captain Vasily Dandykin believes that completing the encirclement of a Ukrainian group near Volchansk could create conditions for a further Russian advance toward Kharkov.

According to Dandykin, the immediate task is to keep the encircled forces trapped inside what he described as the «Volchansk pocket». He expects the Ukrainian military to attempt a relief operation, which would require Russian forces to block efforts from outside while continuing pressure on the units inside the encirclement.

Dandykin also said that the situation could eventually open a route toward Kharkov. He did not rule out the possibility that Russian forces could seek to take the city in the future, while stressing that any decision on operations toward Kharkov and Sumy would be made by the supreme commander-in-chief.

The expert added that Russia may also have to take the situation in the Chernigov Region into account at a later stage. For now, he said, the main Russian military effort remains focused on Donbass.

The comments followed reports from military Telegram channels claiming that Russian forces had closed an encirclement in the Kharkov direction after taking control of Vasilyevka, Blagodatnoye, Dolzhanka and Sliznevo. According to those reports, as many as 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen may be trapped inside.