Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the purpose of Russia’s breakthrough near Dobropillia on the Pokrovsk front is to create an informational backdrop ahead of the 15 August meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
Source: Zelenskyy at a meeting with journalists on 12 August, as reported by Suspilne
Quote: "Russian groups, without equipment, advanced about 10 kilometres in several locations. Some have already been located – partly destroyed, partly taken prisoner. The rest will also be found and destroyed soon.
The aim of this advance is clear to us: to create a certain informational backdrop by 15 August [the date of the Trump–Putin meeting – ed.], especially in the American discourse, showing that Russia is advancing and Ukraine is losing territory."
Details: The president said that the Russians are preparing for an offensive on three fronts.
Quote: “They are preparing for an offensive operation, as we believe, on three fronts. The main fronts are the Zaporizhzhia, Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka [the last one is in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast – ed.] fronts. We believe that an additional 15,000 [troops – ed.] will be deployed to the Zaporizhzhia front, about 7,000 to the Pokrovsk front, and possibly 5,000 more to the Novopavlivka front. We believe they will do everything to prepare for offensive actions after 15 August.”
Background:
On 11 August, the DeepState analytical centre reported that Russian forces had stepped up their advance towards Dobropillia in recent days, in particular attempting to gain a foothold near the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk motorway. Their maps showed this advance as two “wedges” near Dobropillia.The Dnipro Operational-Strategic Group added that the Russians were infiltrating small groups past Ukraine’s first line of positions on this front, and that while such infiltration necessitates the deployment of reserves to destroy them, it does not constitute “gaining control of territory”.On the evening of 11 August, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that additional forces had been sent towards Dobropillia to destroy Russian sabotage groups penetrating the defensive line.
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