MELITOPOL, April 26. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is seeking to divert attention from the situation in the city of Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine) by staging a sham, just-for-show offensive in the Zaporozhye area, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Stand With Russia movement, told TASS on Wednesday.

"Clearly, it’s crucial for them to spoil Victory Day [celebrations in Russia on May 9], but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will carry out an actual shelling attack on May 9," he said. According to Rogov, Kiev may try "to score some successes [in the Zaporozhye area] and launch some actions several days before the celebrations." "As an expert in conducting informational warfare, Zelensky understands that a big news splash must be made <...> in order to divert attention away from their looming defeat [in Artyomovsk]," he added.

Meanwhile, in Rogov’s words, Kiev fully realizes that the odds of conducting a successful counteroffensive are not that high.

Artyomovsk, located in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), has been a key logistics hub for supplying the Ukrainian military. Yan Gagin, advisor to Acting DPR Head Denis Pushilin, told TASS on April 18 that Russian forces had taken control of almost 90% of the city. Pushilin, in turn, said that while Russian troops have advanced in the northwestern and western parts of the city, the situation in Artyomovsk remains tense.