The Russian occupiers do not give up their attempts to achieve at least some success on the battlefield in Ukraine. The Russians will continue to try to go on the offensive in the East.

This opinion was expressed to Channel 24 by Ivan Stupak, a former SBU officer and expert from the Ukrainian Institute for the Future. According to him, the Russian invaders will try to attack Bakhmut.

After all, this city-fortress has a very great symbolic meaning for the occupiers. According to Stupak, the enemy will throw more and more forces at Bakhmut.

The Russians themselves admit that this city has become a trap for them. They got in there so deep that they can no longer leave him,” said the ex-SBU officer.

He added that Russia spent too much time and effort on the assault on Bakhmut and suffered huge losses. After this, it became a matter of principle for the enemy to show at least some achievements near Bakhmut.

Idea-fix of the Russians

At the same time, the Russian invaders will not stop shelling the territory of Ukraine in the near future.

Now the occupiers are concentrating on discovering the places where Ukrainian equipment is based, which is preparing for the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Stupak said.

According to him, such plans of the enemy are evidenced by the latest shelling of the territory of Ukraine – a massive rocket attack on March 9 and an attack by Iranian Shaheeds on March 18.

Ivan Stupak spoke about Russia's plans: watch the video

The main goal of Russia

Stupak is convinced that these attacks were aimed at places where Western equipment, ammunition, ammunition and fuel are compactly stored.

This is now a fixed idea for the Russians – to destroy these warehouses, as we destroyed them, – the ex-SBU employee emphasized.

An expert from the Ukrainian Institute for the Future explained that in this way the invaders want to disrupt the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The situation at the front: briefly

• The Russian occupiers are still trying to advance in the Donbass. The situation is especially difficult in the Bakhmut direction, but Ukrainian soldiers repel enemy attacks.
• Ukraine is preparing for a counter-offensive to drive the Russians out of the occupied territories. As Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov said, the Ukrainian military is actively working on the upcoming counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, various forces have now become active, which want to disrupt this process.
• As military expert Aleksey Getman noted, the invaders, in anticipation of the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, are trying to neutralize as many of our forces as possible and take dominant positions in order to repel the attacks.