russians first plan to seize Donbas, and then occupy rest of Zaporizhia region – UA general

Shortly, the russian army will try to capture the entire territory of the Donetsk region. After that, it will try to occupy part of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov, deputy chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, said this at a briefing on January 12.

"It is predicted that the enemy will soon try to reach the administrative borders of the Donetsk region. In the future, it may intensify its actions to seize the left-bank part of the Zaporizhzhia region," the general said.

According to Hromov, the General Staff also predicts that russian aggressors will continue to launch missile and air strikes on critical infrastructure facilities throughout Ukraine.

The brigadier general added that to implement its plans to seize Ukraine, russia announced large-scale measures to reform the armed forces, namely, increasing the total number to 1.5 million people and forming at least 20 new divisions.

The General Staff believes these actions indicate the Kremlin's intentions to engage in a long-term confrontation and continue preparations for large-scale hostilities.

"The enemy's main goal remains the seizure of the entire territory of our country and the destruction of Ukraine's statehood," Hromov concluded.

As reported earlier, Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said at a briefing that the russian military is transferring mobilized fighters from training grounds in belarus and russia to the combat zone and border areas.

Maliar noted that the russian aggressors continued to focus their efforts on the Donetsk region.

Reference

The Ukrainian Defense Forces are currently fighting heavy battles with the russian occupiers in the city of Soledar, Donetsk region.

Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar reported on Telegram that the enemy had again replaced its units.

"russians increased the number of Wagner mercenaries, trying to break through the defense of our troops and completely capture the city, but they are not successful," said Maliar.

As reported, the russian federation sent another echelon with military equipment, its soldiers, and ammunition to belarus.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine refuted the statements of the russian military about their alleged seizure of the city of Soledar in the Donetsk region.

He also reported that during the day in the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian military was subjected to 249 shellings by the russian invaders.