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Russians trying to advance in Zaporizhzhia region ahead of possible negotiations - Southern Defense Forces

summary of General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine

Russians have intensified hostilities in the Zaporizhzhia region, trying to seize more territory before possible ceasefire talks.

The spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, Vladyslav Voloshyn, said this on television, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"The military-political leadership of the Russian Federation has never concealed that... Zaporizhzhia region is in the sphere of their geopolitical interests. Therefore, we can say that before any negotiations on a truce, on the establishment of different regimes, a ceasefire begin, the Russians want to get as much head start as possible, to advance as far as possible in the Zaporizhzhia region, if they can, even to reach the administrative borders of the region," Voloshyn said.

According to him, this is one of the reasons for the aggravation of the situation in the south of Ukraine. The occupiers have accumulated forces and means for assaults by small groups of infantry, using the tactics of a "creeping offensive".

"The tactic of using these small groups brings certain results to Russia in other areas, so they will try to use this tactic of a creeping offensive, assaults by small groups of infantry in the Zaporizhzhia areas. We are talking about the Orikhiv and Hulyaypillia directions. Since the beginning of spring, the number of such assaults has increased significantly," Voloshyn added.