Russia masses forces for third wave toward Zaporizhzhia, says Andriushchenko

Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, said this on Espreso TV.

“The occupiers have been preparing all summer for offensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia direction. In fact, all of their offensives have been disrupted by our Defense Forces. If we analyze it, the enemy’s second wave has already been thwarted. Now the Russians are actively preparing for the third wave of assaults in this area. What will happen with this offensive remains unclear. We should recall the destruction of a Russian train near Tokmak, which is still blocking their logistics there. And they desperately need those supplies to start an offensive. The fuel transported on that railway was certainly not for civilian use,” Andriushchenko explained.

He added that Russian forces tried to carry out attacks near Vasylivka, Stepove, and Huliaipole, but all of them failed.

“Almost all summer the Russians have been keeping a significant number of reserves on the second line of the front. They systematically replenish and rotate them, but these forces are not taking part in active offensives. We observe enemy attacks in the Vasylivka and Stepove areas, where they tried to break through. Also some activity near Huliaipole, but none of this can be called successful for the enemy,” he added.

According to Andriushchenko, the enemy’s main goal in the Zaporizhzhia sector is to get as close as possible to Zaporizhzhia to bombard the city with drones and artillery.

“There is no doubt the enemy plans to advance in Zaporizhzhia region and create pressure points. They need this to tie down our Defense Forces. They also want to get as close as possible to Zaporizhzhia and turn the city into another Kherson, where artillery and drones can constantly strike. Their minimum task is to reach Zaporizhzhia so they can target the city with artillery and drones,” Andriushchenko summarized.

• On August 19, a railway depot with fuel tanks was blown up between Urozhaine and Tokmak.
• Ukraine’s General Staff reported that as of Tuesday, August 26, there had been 71 combat clashes on the front, 24 of them in the Pokrovsk sector.