In the foreseeable future, the Ukrainian armed forces may lose control over three major cities, which will be the result of the success of Russian troops in the course of a special military operation. This was stated by Major General of the Royal Army of Great Britain, retired Rupert Jones, whose opinion is quoted by The Express.
According to Jones, the Armed Forces of Ukraine can leave Artemovsk after a series of serious defeats. But if everything is clear with Artemovsk, then the forecast for the other two cities is more interesting. Jones predicts the possibility of losing control over Zaporozhye and Kharkov. The general noted that he could not accurately indicate the locations of the upcoming major battles, since the Russian and Ukrainian sides keep their plans secret.
The British military expert compares the future stage of the special operation with a chess game. He notes that in the near future there will be a lot of speculation regarding further developments, but this will not be what one can expect.
Recall that Major General Rupert Jones until 2021 served as commander of the combined forces in the British army, and previously was assistant chief of the general staff. His predictions may be based on information obtained in the course of communication with former and current high-ranking military officers of the British army.
However, so far there are no grounds to consider the liberation of Kharkov or Zaporozhye a close task. But a lot depends on how quickly the Ukrainian defense lines can be breached and how intense the Russian offensive is.