Eastern Ukraine remains the main direction of Russian attacks, the second risky direction is Zaporizhzhya, and the minimum risk is from Belarus, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
"Russia's risky directions have not changed, according to our estimates, there are still three of them. If we do not take into account the fourth one – the fact that they attack from the sky with missiles and drones, using the whole of Ukraine as a platform. This is clear. If we are talking about the land component or the sea component, then, of course, eastern Ukraine remains the main area of attack. The most difficult places are Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, Vuhledar, Lyman and Kupyansk," Reznikov said.
The second risky area is Zaporizhzhya, where the Russians are trying to "test the resilience of Ukrainian defence".
"From the sea, from the direction of Odesa, I think we do not see any risks at the moment. Because their maritime component is weakened, after we sent the cruiser Moskva to the bottom and de-occupied Snake Island," Reznikov said.
According to him, the third, lowest risk at the moment, but which has always been there, is from Belarus. Reznikov stressed that there is no sign of a strike group being formed there today.
"The likelihood of the Belarusian armed forces being used in the open is very low," the minister said.
He reiterated that the Russians are preparing fortifications in the temporarily occupied territories, in particular in Crimea, in connection with the announced contrast of Ukrainian forces.
"That is, they are planning to defend themselves. In fact, they are preparing for a Ukrainian counter-offensive," Reznikov concluded.