Russian forces will try to open more areas for offensive – Ukrainian Security Service Colonel Kostenko

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

"Given the weather conditions, the enemy will try to counterattack to improve their position. This applies to the entire territory of Donbas, because the Russians' goals of capturing Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain unchanged. The Zaporizhzhia direction is also important for the enemy. This is because the Zaporizhzhia direction is a threat for the Russians in case of a successful counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," emphasized Kostenko.

According to the Ukrainian Security Service colonel, the Russian forces may open an auxiliary direction – the third direction. It may come from the north to distract the attention of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and prevent our units from maneuvering.

"The Russian forces will prepare, they will definitely not go on the defense. They are still in an active phase and are trying to push through the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In the future, the enemy will try to advance to seize Ukrainian territories," Kostenko added.

• On March 9, the Ukrainian General Staff said that the Russian forces had almost used up the entire stock of artillery ammunition stored in warehouses in central Russia.

• On March 20, it was reported that eight Leopard 2 tanks from Norway had already arrived in Ukraine. In addition to the donated equipment, auxiliary vehicles were also transferred. Norway also provides funds for ammunition and spare parts.

• Russia is sending outdated T-54 and T-55 combat vehicles to Ukraine, experiencing a shortage of more modern weapons