Russian forces hunker down to cover their retreat on southern front – military expert Svitan

He said this on the air of the Espreso TV channel.

"The enemy is going into a ‘deaf defense’ and trying to disperse. The defense is being built in a staggered manner to cover the withdrawal, the occupiers are planning a retreat. From north to south, the enemy is taking some defensive measures. The Russians can already see the general outline of our offensive and the likely front line. Therefore, there will definitely be no offensive actions on the southern front," Svitan emphasized.

According to the military expert, the enemy has enough combat fervor left for a few more weeks on the Donetsk and Luhansk fronts.

"The enemy still has a certain amount of forces and equipment on the eastern front. By the end of the month, the Russians will have used up everything and then will go into a deaf defense. The enemy will hold our counteroffensive actions in the areas that will be determined by our General Staff," Svitan said.

• Earlier it was reported that in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region, Russian forces are compiling lists of volunteers who are ready to "evacuate" to Crimea or Russia, with women and children being the first to be taken away.

• Invading Russian forces plan to eliminate traitors of Ukraine during the retreat from Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia