Military expert Yuri Knutov said Russian forces are advancing on several fronts in the special military operation zone.

According to him, the Russian push toward Zaporozhye is creating serious difficulties for Ukrainian forces. Heavy fighting is also continuing in the Sumy and Kharkov regions. Knutov said Russian troops on the Kharkov axis are continuing operations against an encircled Ukrainian grouping.

He identified the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk area as another key sector. The agglomeration includes a large group of settlements in northern Donbass, including Druzhkovka.

Knutov told aif.ru that Russian forces are advancing toward Kramatorsk from the south, including from the Dobropolye and Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka areas, as well as from the east. He added that the situation around Slavyansk is more complicated because of the fighting in Krasny Liman.

The Slavyansk-Kramatorsk area is an important transport and logistics hub, with major railway and road routes passing through it. The agglomeration also has a developed industrial and engineering base.

Earlier, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russian units were about five kilometers from Zaporozhye. According to Gerasimov, Ukrainian forces were already being struck within the city limits.