Military expert: Russian forces preparing for head-on assault on Kurakhove

He shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

"Currently, the enemy's main focus is Kurakhove. The Russians are expected to launch a direct offensive on Kurakhove soon, using a significant number of mechanized units. They will attempt to advance along the Pavlivka-Bohoiavlenka highway toward Bohoiavlenka. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have defenses set up there. Russian strategy is to reach Kurakhove from the south. While they don’t see a serious prospect for frontal attacks, this approach will create conditions for an advance on Kurakhove from the east. When they reach the eastern part of Kurakhove, they plan to be in a position to pressure the city from both the east and south," Kovalenko explained.

He noted that the Kurakhove direction experiences the highest level of mechanized equipment use.

"In the Pokrovsk sector, we mostly see infantry assaults. They rely heavily on infantry. However, in the Kurakhove sector, Russian forces are using their equipment without restraint, unlike in other places where they try to conserve it. Vuhledar was similarly intense in terms of equipment usage, but now that focus has shifted slightly north of Vuhledar,” he added.

• Serhii Zgurets, a military expert and Defense Express CEO, noted that after taking Vuhledar, Russian forces are intensifying their push north toward Kurakhove, where Ukraine’s defense line holds near Bohoiavlenka.