The intention of the Russians is clear – Lakiychuk said what the enemy will do in the Zaporozhye direction

Russian occupation forces launched an offensive in the Zaporozhye direction on February 17, but Ukrainian soldiers defeated the enemy and forced him to retreat to their previous positions positions. The defense forces as a whole destroyed 18 pieces of Russian equipment.

At the same time, personnel losses amounted to approximately 70 soldiers killed and 80 wounded. What is the goal of the Russians – Pavel Lakiychuk, head of security programs at the Center for Global Studies “Strategy XXI”, told 24 Channel.

“The Russians’ plan is clear – it is strategic: from the eastern direction of Avdeevka – Marinka and the southern direction of Zaporozhye to achieve tactical success,” said Lakiychuk.

At the first stage, the occupiers want to oust Ukrainian troops from their occupied positions during the summer-autumn counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On the second, try to occupy the Ugledar ledge or repeat the encirclement that they tried to carry out in Avdievka. Here one of the key dangers remains for the enemy after the Avdeevsky segment.

What are the prospects

< p>Pavel Lakiychuk explained that if in the Avdiivka direction it was important for the occupiers to push Ukrainian troops away from the Donetsk agglomeration, then the Ugledarsky ledge is also a line of communication through Volnovakha, which, if captured, will connect the eastern group in Donbass with the southern region.

It will become easier for the Russians to transfer troops and cargo. In fact, this will be an operational-strategic advantage. I hope they won’t be able to achieve this,” noted the head of security programs at the Center for Global Studies “Strategy XXI”.

The situation in the Zaporozhye direction

• On January 14, the representative of the Tavria operational-strategic group of troops, Dmitry Likhovy, said that the Russian occupation forces concentrated a larger number of personnel in the Orekhovsky direction, than in the Avdeevsky direction.
• There really is a large enemy group there. However, there is no threat to Zaporozhye. The enemy's forces extend in a wide strip from the border with the Donetsk region to the Dnepropetrovsk region. In addition, the conditions there are completely different when compared with Avdiivka.
• On February 17, the Russian military tried 13 times to no avail to attack the positions of the Ukrainian military west of Verbovoy and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region.