Voloshyn said the push would likely concentrate around Velyka Novosilka, one of the largest settlements in the area. Russian troops are also gearing up for assault operations in the direction of Orikhiv and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Russia is currently gaining territory in eastern Ukraine at a rapid rate, seizing towns in Donetsk Oblast at the cost of heavy personnel losses.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyisaid on Nov. 2. that Ukraine is now facing “one of the most powerful” Russian offensives since the start of the all-out war.