Russia strengthens defense in occupied part of Zaporizhia region – British intelligence
The Russian occupiers continue to build defensive fortifications in the occupied areas of Zaporizhia region, according to a defense intelligence report published on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Monday.
“As of 07 February 2023, open source imagery indicated Russia had likely further bolstered defensive fortifications in central Zaporizhia region, southern Ukraine, particularly near the town of Tarasivka. As of 08 January 2023, Russia had established defensive fortifications between the towns of Vasylyivka and Horikhiv, Zaporizhia region,” the report reads.
The intelligence service notes that, despite the current operational focus on the central Donbas, the Russian Federation is still concerned about the protection of the entire front line, which stretches for 1,288 km, in particular, in Zaporizhia region - for 192 km. Also, the construction of defensive fortifications continues in Luhansk region.
“A major Ukrainian breakthrough in Zaporizhia would seriously challenge the viability of Russia’s ‘land bridge’ linking Russia’s Rostov region and Crimea; Ukrainian success in Luhansk would further undermine Russia’s professed war aim of ‘liberating’ Donbas. Deciding which of these threats to prioritise countering is likely one of the central dilemmas for Russian operational planners,” the British intelligence says.