Yuri Kobzar18:32, 31.10.26
The Russians created a humanitarian crisis so that they could then declare a ceasefire and bring up troops under its cover, the expert believes.
The evacuation of civilians from occupied Oleshki was used by the Russians to build up the occupation group in the area. This opinion was expressed by military expert Roman Svitan in a commentary on Channel 24 .
According to him, previously, Russian units could not approach the Dnieper coastline in this area en masse due to the fire control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To change the situation, the occupiers, in his assessment, artificially created unbearable conditions for local residents, and in parallel launched an information campaign using bot farms to attract the attention of the international community.
Russia used the humanitarian crisis to exert political pressure on the West, including Donald Trump’s team. As a result, under the pretext of evacuating civilians, Ukraine was allegedly asked to provide a temporary security zone and stop shelling Russian positions.
“The occupiers are probably using this time for unhindered access to the left bank of the Dnieper,” Svitan emphasizes.
According to him, Russian troops are rotating, transferring personnel, equipment, and ammunition. Multiple rocket launchers have already been deployed to the coastline, and they are also setting up fortifications to protect against Ukrainian drones and field warehouses.
The next stage, according to Svitan, may be an attempt to cross the Dnieper. For this, the occupiers, as the expert suggests, can take advantage of autumn fogs and rains. He calls the Korabel district in Kherson one of the possible directions of attack. The Russian army will seek to create a bridgehead on the right bank with the prospect of its further expansion.
At the same time, Svitan believes that the operation has a broader strategic goal. Activation in the Kherson region may force the Ukrainian command to transfer reserves from the eastern direction, where Russia is concentrating its main efforts on the area from Hulyaipol to Kupyansk, in particular near Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Druzhkivka.
(C)UNIAN 2026