Russian summer offensive not targeting Dnipropetrovsk region – military observer

Ukrainian military observer Denys Popovych shared his opinions with Espreso.

"Russia's summer offensive isn’t aimed at the Dnipropetrovsk region. Sure, they’d like to get into the Dnipropetrovsk region, but the current push is focused on the Donetsk region. Right now, Russian forces are trying to advance around Pokrovsk. Their aim is to bypass Pokrovsk and make us pull back, so they can move on and take the rest of the Donetsk region, not to break through to Dnipro or Pavlohrad. They might enter the Dnipropetrovsk region, but this isn’t an attack on Dnipro," the military observer said.

According to him, the regrouping of Russian troops along the front line is possible, but for now, their main efforts are aimed at Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Kostiantynivka, and the Sumy region. Lately, Russia has been shifting troops toward Sumy. Of course, Russia can shift focus anytime, but for now, Donetsk is the priority, then Sumy.

"The enemy is covering its monthly losses, keeping its manpower needs met, and still putting pressure on key parts of the front — mainly Donetsk and Sumy, and they’re also trying to keep up activity in other directions. But take Zaporizhzhia, for example, they don’t have the same goals there as they do in Donetsk, the main effort is clearly about taking full control of the Donetsk region," Popovych added.

• The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that 175 combat clashes took place on the Russian-Ukrainian front on Sunday, June 15. Ukrainian defense forces repelled 46 Russian attacks near Pokrovsk and 32 more in the Novopavlivka area.