Russia amasses forces for small-scale assaults, not major offensive — Southern Command

Spokesperson for the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, Vladyslav Voloshyn, said this on Espreso TV.

“We expect active Russian actions in southern Ukraine, as our intelligence indicates the Russian army is pulling in a certain amount of forces and equipment. However, these forces and assets are not being prepared for large-scale offensive operations, but rather for continued assault actions by small infantry groups. They also want to maintain a high intensity of these assaults. Right now, Russian troops are attempting to carry out numerous assaults and are using drone strikes to maintain a so-called ‘dead zone’ just beyond the front line. We are doing the same to cut off their rear. In other words, the Russians are trying to keep constant pressure through these assault operations,” Voloshyn explained.

The spokesperson said that Russian troops are attacking  the town of Kamianske in an effort to gain the ability to shell the southern and eastern outskirts of Zaporizhzhia.

“Russian forces have achieved some success in certain areas along the line of contact. That’s why they are trying to sustain their tactic of constant assaults in southern Ukraine as well, particularly near the settlement of Kamianske, which is located on the bank of the Kakhovka Reservoir. This village sits on high ground, and if the Russians manage to capture it, they would be able to conduct artillery strikes on the southern and eastern outskirts of Zaporizhzhia and place key logistics routes under fire control,” he added.

• On July 2, the DeepState project reported that over the past day, the Russian occupying army made gains in the Zaporizhzhia region as well as in three settlements in the Donetsk region.