Zaporizhzhia region is key to liberation of entire south and Crimea - military expert Kovalenko

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

 "What the next scenario will be, only the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine knows. And in my opinion, I do not see a scenario with the crossing of the Dnipro River by Ukrainian forces, but I believe that it will be our entrenchment on the right bank and the arrangement of positions in order to carry out effective counter-battery combat and reduce risks for Kherson, as well as for settlements on the right bank," the military expert noted.

Oleksandr Kovalenko added that the Russian forces should be deprived of the opportunity to use barrel and rocket artillery on the right bank, although they can use the S-300 air defense system. So, unfortunately, Kherson may have the same sad situation as Mykolaiv, and we must be morally and psychologically ready for this.

"As for the further counteroffensive, especially on the left-bank part of the Kherson region, I see the liberation of this territory through the Zaporizhzhia region, and not through the crossing of the Dnipro River. Because the enemy has concentrated a large number of forces and means on the left-bank and right-bank parts of the Kherson region, a total of approximately 40 BTG (  battalion-tactical groups - ed.) And after the enemy finally flees from the right bank, these 40 BTG will be on the left bank of the Dnipro River, and part of them will be redeployed to the Zaporizhzhia region to maintain defense there. Because the Russians  also understand that the Zaporizhzhia region is actually the key to the entire south and to the temporarily occupied Crimea as well," Kovalenko explained.