A crisis for the entire Ukrainian state is brewing near Zaporizhzhia, according to a British analyst.
The Russian army encircles the town of Orekhov, after which the road to Zaporizhzhia will be open to it.
British analyst Alexander Merkuris stated this on his channel, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"The Russian army has broken through Ukrainian defenses east of Orekhovo. We are seeing large-scale Russian troop movements east of Malaya Tokmachka, where two armies are currently encircling Orekhovo.
The situation in Orekhovo is becoming critical . The Russians are bombing it constantly. It's likely that the supply routes will be cut off quite soon.
"I don't think the Ukrainians will be able to organize a reliable defense there. I think Orekhov will fall within the next few weeks . And the path to Zaporizhzhia and the Dnieper will be open for the Russian army," Merkuris said.
He emphasized that numerous counterattacks have depleted the reserves of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and now they have nothing to defend themselves with.
“One way or another, we are on the brink of a serious operational crisis for the Ukrainian army in the Zaporizhzhia region.
And this section of the front is crucial for Ukraine. If they lose Zaporizhia, if the Russians gain a foothold on the Dnieper in central Ukraine, then the enormous factories of Zaporizhia will fall into Russian hands.
Zaporizhzhia is Ukraine's largest industrial center. If this happens, it will be an existential crisis for Ukraine. The viability of the Ukrainian state as a whole will be called into question," the analyst concluded.
A crisis for the entire Ukrainian state is brewing near Zaporizhzhia, according to a British analyst.