Three footholds are being established: Russian Armed Forces are preparing to seize the entire Donetsk region, according to the former Chief of Staff.

The Russian occupying forces are creating favorable conditions for themselves to seize the entire administrative territory of Donetsk Oblast. This was stated on the air of Radio NV by former press secretary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military expert Vladislav Seleznev.

"The enemy is operating within the framework of their strategic plan, which, in my opinion, is quite clear. The enemy will attempt to establish one of the offensive footholds in the Lyman direction, from which they will advance towards the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration during the spring-summer offensive campaign," Seleznev said.

He explained that there will be at least three such footholds:

• the first — the Lyman direction;
• the second — from Chasiv Yar;
• the third — in the area of Pokrovsk and Toretsk, that is, from the southeast.

Seleznev noted that currently, the occupying forces of the Russian Federation are creating favorable conditions to execute their plan.

"An attack on the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration is expected to fully realize Putin's Russia's plan. Whether they will succeed in this depends on resource factors — both the existing capabilities of the Russian occupiers and the corresponding capabilities for resistance from the Ukrainian Defense Forces," Seleznev emphasized.

Recall that on November 19, Vladislav Seleznev stated that the Russian army used strategic bombers Tu-160 for the first time.

On January 3, DeepState analysts reported that the Russian Armed Forces occupied four more settlements in Donbas.