Speaking at the Ministry of Defense’s weekly press conference, Colonel Ants Kiviselg, said: “The Russian Federation has formed a force group called Sever or North in the area of northern Ukraine. More and more units are currently being concentrated there. The presence of Russian airborne troops has also been observed in the area, which may indicate active offensive activity from that direction in the near future.”

Kiviselg added that despite the buildup, the number of troops remained insufficient to capture Kharkiv or Sumy. “However, this does not rule out smaller-scale attacks from this direction of attempts to take control of settlements,” he said.

Furthermore, with Russia continuing to bolster its northern presence, Kiviselg said that Ukraine could expect more attacks from this direction. “It is possible that over the coming weeks and months, the pressure of the Russian Federation on Ukraine's northern oblasts will increase. This assessment is confirmed by Russia's mass attack in Sumy Oblast last night," he said.

In the wider sphere, Kiviselg added that Russia’s principal forces were still concentrated in the area of Avdiivka-Bakhmut and had made progress around Chasiv Yar.

Russia has also scored victories close to Ocheretyne and continued attacks towards the town of Pokrovsk. "It is likely that the intermediate target for the Russian forces is the line of the Vovcha River, to capture it, and eventually take the entire Donetsk Oblast," he said.

Fighting is also expected to intensify around the bridgehead in Krynki. Colonel Kiviselg also noted the impact of long-range Russian strikes, specifically those targeting energy infrastructure. “This poses a very acute problem, as electricity is needed both for water supply and for the functioning of vital services, including hospitals,” he said.

Despite the stark outlook, Kiviselg credited Ukraine for launching their own deep strikes inside Russia, such as those on military installations within occupied Crimea and oil plants in Russia.