Small groups of Russian infantry may try to infiltrate Zaporizhzhia this winter — Filatov

Russian forces may try this winter to move closer to Zaporizhzhia and infiltrate the city with separate small infantry groups. Such a scenario was suggested on the YouTube channel “Real Front” by the commander of the 1st Separate Assault Regiment, Dmytro Filatov with the callsign “Perun”. He assessed the likelihood of this development as high.

At the same time, the serviceman clarified that he does not foresee a full-scale entry of Russian forces into the regional center. In his assessment, with the onset of cold weather the enemy may look for weak points in Ukrainian defenses and direct small infantry groups toward Zaporizhzhia.

Among potential routes for such advances, Dmytro Filatov earlier named the area of Stepnohirsk and the banks of the Dnipro. Russian units, he said, may gradually move closer to the city’s built-up areas.

If separate groups succeed in establishing positions directly in the city, the character of the fighting could change. At the same time, the commander’s words are an assessment of a possible development of the situation: they do not mean that Russian forces have already begun entering Zaporizhzhia or that this scenario will necessarily be realized.

Earlier we wrote:

• Russian forces did not advance on several sectors of the front — ISW
• GUR fighters stopped the advance of Russian forces on the Zaporizhzhia direction
• Russian forces are planning an offensive on Zaporizhzhia: the threat is growing!
• 130,000 occupiers are heading to Zaporizhzhia? Ukrainian intelligence raises the alarm
• Alarm signal: Russia is storming Orikhiv again after a short “silence”