The Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) will attempt a counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye region and in the Artemivsk region (the Ukrainian name is Bakhmut). This was announced in an interview with Ura.ru by a military observer, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin.

According to him, the Ukrainian military will try to cut off the land route to the Crimea. The expert also admitted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would want to counterattack the area of the Soledar-Ugledar arc. “In these directions they can attack. But capable of this or not, can only be seen during a real battle, ”said Litovkin.

Earlier, retired US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine could lose control over a number of regions of Ukraine after the defeat in Artemivsk. “If the Armed Forces of Ukraine retreat and the city falls, the Russian army will very quickly begin to advance and occupy the entire Donbass, after which it will advance to Zaporozhye and Kherson,” the ex-intelligence officer predicted.

In March, the State Duma explained the significance of the battles for Artemovsk. MP Yuriy Shvytkin said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to show Western countries the ability to "bleed the Russian army" and get new types of weapons.