The well-known major of the reserve of the National Guard of Ukraine and the veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war Alexei Hetman expressed his opinion on the likely directions of the offensive of Russia within the spring and summer campaign of 2025. On the air of Espresso TV channel he noted that usually any offensive surgery should take place in several directions in order not to spray forces.
"Most likely, the Russians will focus their efforts in 3-4 directions," the hetman said, adding that two directions are a minimum for successful offensive actions. In particular, he said, the offensive can take place in the north and in the south of Ukraine.
Hetman noted that the Russian Federation may activate fighting in Sumy and Kharkiv directions, as well as continue the offensive in the Zaporozhye direction, where the situation will remain tense. At the same time, he emphasized that the fighting in the Pokrovsky direction, which is also important to the enemy, did not stop.
Alexei Hetman also raised doubts about Russia's mobilization potential, in particular about large reserves in the Russian Federation. According to him, Putin does not want to use the offenses for the offensive, as this can lead to protests within the country. However, he specified that even the term, if desired, can be mobilized after the contract is signed and sent to the front.
From social networks and analytical sources, it is also known that Russia retains the tactics of "human waves", trying to displace the Ukrainian forces from the left banks of the Zherebets River, where the ratio of forces can reach 10 to 1 in favor of the Russian Federation. But, as the hetman noted, for the whole 2024 the Russian army did not gain significant territorial success, which testifies to the limited offensive opportunities.
According to the Institute of War Study (ISW), Russia has concentrated significant forces near the estuary in Donetsk region and is preparing for the offensive, which indicates an increase in its hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Expert forecasts indicate that offensive actions in several directions will be important for both parties in the coming months, and the results of these operations will be crucial for the further situation on the front.
