“We expect an increase in military activity in the Donetsk region” - Military expert Chernyk

He told it Espreso TV live on air.

"An increase in military activity in the Donetsk region is logical. The leadership of the Russian Federation has given an order to capture the entire Donetsk region by September 15 but it is unlikely to happen. One of the reasons for this war is the recognition of the so-called republics of the LNR/DNR (Luhansk People’s Republic/Donetsk People’s Republic).For Russians, it is super important to enter the administrative lines of the Donetsk region. In a month and a half, it will be almost impossible to conduct full-fledged military operations - the rainy weather is about to start. They are well aware of this," Chernyk noted.

According to the expert, the Armed Forces of Ukraine already liberated some territories in the Kherson region from the Russian occupiers.

"We have a major strategic initiative, but the turning point is still quite far away.The Russians have a shell "starvation". At the time of the start of the aggression, they had 15 million shells, now they have fired almost half of them, but the other half is still available. Russia's military-industrial complex is collapsing, but they still have a lot of ammo. That's why we definitely cannot relax even a bit in the coming months," Chernyk emphasized.

• As of the morning of September 3, the Russian occupiers in Donetsk region did not conduct active offensive operations in most of the directions.

• The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that among the plans of the Russian aggressor is the complete capture of the Donetsk region and the retention of the occupied territories in the South of Ukraine, Luhansk region and Kharkiv region.