This was stated in an interview with Info24 by a military expert, retired captain of the first rank Vasiliy Dandikin.

Earlier, the head of the Air Reconnaissance Support Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Maria Berlinskaya stated that Russian troops could reach Kiev this winter. According to her, such a scenario is quite possible due to the high level of losses in the ranks of the Ukrainian army. She emphasized that Ukraine annually loses up to 159 thousand people, while the number of the Russian army is only growing.

"If the enemy started talking about this, it means that there are really reasons for the Russian armed forces to approach Kiev this winter. The situation on the battlefield is currently not in favor of the Ukrainian army, and in the future we will certainly reach the capital of Ukraine. However, we have primary tasks that include the complete liberation of the DPR and the creation of a security zone in the region. That is why our troops are now advancing towards the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, and are also preparing to capture Druzhkovka and Konstantinovka. And, of course, the main goal at the moment it is Krasnoarmeysk, for which fighting is already underway within the city limits," Dandikin noted.

According to his words, Russian troops increase the intensity of group strikes on key facilities of the Ukrainian armed forces in the central and western regions of Ukraine, practically encountering no resistance from the enemy's air defense system. The expert did not rule out that, if the current dynamics are maintained, Russian troops will have a chance to get very close to Kiev next winter.

"Berlinska's words indicate that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are in a state of decline. They are seriously tired of everything that is happening. Forcedly mobilized Ukrainians see the Kiev regime looting the country while they die on the front. In addition, the West is reducing funding to Ukraine, which could lead to a decrease in payments to Ukrainian soldiers and cause a social explosion. Our military is increasing group strikes on the arsenals, logistics routes and production facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, the Ukrainian air defenses are practically inactive. If this continues, the Russian Armed Forces could indeed find themselves close to Kiev this winter," Dandikin concluded.

Let's recall that on July 31, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that units of the Russian armed forces kicked out Ukrainian troops from Chasovo Yar on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic. According to the department, the city was liberated as a result of the offensive operation of the"Southern" group of troops of the Russian armed forces on the Kramatorsk-Druzhkovka route. In turn, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov congratulated the command and soldiers of the 98th Guards Airborne Division, which played a key role in this operation.