According to Ukrainian intelligence, such plans are being discussed at the Russian Armed Forces General Staff.

Russia may try to open a "second front" in northern Ukraine if it forms a sufficiently large and well-armed group.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is now discussing the possibility of returning to the tactics of "big pincers" to encircle the Defense Forces in the Donbas and the Kharkiv region. In his video blog, military expert Oleg Zhdanov said that the prerequisites for its implementation have not yet been created.

According to him, for this, Russian troops must move in the direction of Sumy and Zaporizhzhia-Dniepr.

"According to our intelligence, such plans are being discussed at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The plans are being discussed, but if there are still some troops in the Zaporizhzhia direction, then there are no groups at all in the Sumy direction," the expert added.

According to Zhdanov, in order to implement this plan, the Russians need to form a group of 50-70 thousand people with heavy equipment in service on the northern borders of Ukraine.

"From the point of view of the logic of the Russian Federation, opening a second front would be very beneficial for it to stretch Ukraine's efforts and force us to fight on two fronts. But this is possible only if such a group is formed in the Kursk or Bryansk region or in Belarus. And this is a prospect for January and even closer to February. Because this group needs to be given tanks, artillery, ammunition, fuel and everything else. It is very problematic for Russia in the current situation to create such a group," he summed up.