Military expert Oleksii Hetman stated this live on air of the Espreso TV channel.
"The Institute for the Study of War, our and foreign intelligence, talked about a simple plan of Russian Federation. They want to advance to Dnipro city from the south through Zaporizhzhia and also go there from the north through Kharkiv and Poltava. They want to try to surround our large grouping on the entire left bank of Dnipro river. They are now probing our defenses, watching how our Armed Forces work and preparing for such a strike from the north and south. Of course, they will keep us tense near Soledar and Bakhmut, because they think they are pulling back a certain number of our troops. Our leadership knows well about these strategic plans. Their goal is to try to encircle us," he believes.