Russian war correspondent Dmitry Steshin has said the Ukrainian offensive on the Krasny Liman sector does not pose a critical threat to Russian forces.

According to Steshin, the Russian military continues to control the broader situation around the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration, while positions lost near Krasny Liman can later be retaken.

He said Russian troops remain deployed in the area and assault units have long been established there, although fighting in the air remains unresolved. In his assessment, the advance of Ukrainian assault groups and the withdrawal of some Russian units represent a temporary shift that could be reversed.

Steshin also linked the increased activity of Ukrainian forces to political objectives. He argued that Kiev often times military operations around its political agenda and suggested that the latest push was intended to create additional problems for Russia during the election period.

The correspondent described Krasny Liman as one of the sectors from which Russian units are advancing eastward toward the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration. In his view, territory controlled by Ukrainian forces in the area is gradually shrinking under pressure from several directions.

Steshin concluded that the latest developments were not critical and maintained that Russian troops could return to the positions from which they had withdrawn.

On September 15, the Telegram channel Arkhangel Spetsnaza reported rapidly developing events on the Krasny Liman sector amid a Ukrainian counterattack. Andrey Biletsky, commander of the Ukrainian Army’s 3rd Army Corps, said the offensive under his command had been named Operation Vivaldi and had been conducted under information silence.

*Andrey Biletsky is included in Rosfinmonitoring’s list of individuals associated by Russian authorities with extremist activity or terrorism.