According to the expert, there will be some intensification of hostilities, but without powerful turns.
Putin ordered the invaders to seize the entire Donetsk region by September 15. However, a powerful round of hostilities in this front sector should not be expected.
Military expert Oleg Zhdanov spoke about this in an interview with OBOZREVATEL.
According to him, in the Donetsk direction, one should still expect an increase in the activity of hostilities, but not powerful offensives.
âIn principle, Russia did not stop offensive operations in the Donetsk region, especially in the directions of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. Parts of the third army corps, the reserve, which they formed there for three months, but never completed, could be brought in. They tried to collect 15 thousand but collected 10. "As far as I understand, those units that are more or less equipped are being pulled to Ukraine today. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine gave information that they could appear either in the Donetsk or Zaporizhzhia directions, we'll see," Zhdanov said.
In his opinion, this will not allow the Russian troops to carry out some large-scale offensive, even in a separate direction.
âSo, we will observe an increase in hostilities, but I donât think there will be a large-scale offensive. Even the exercises they are trying to conduct together with the Belarusian armed forces in September, I donât think there will be an opportunity to open a second front, as some say. "I think Lukashenka is still winding through to the end of this military campaign. All signs indicate that he does not want to interfere. The Russian Federation does not have such troops to develop a second front. They do not even have troops to strengthen the same Donetsk direction significantly," the expert added.
Zhdanov also stressed that information about Putin's order is more of an information-psychological special operation.
"A big information campaign is unfolding that tomorrow they will go on the offensive, and we must be afraid and give up our territory," he added.