Speaking at this Friday's weekly Ministry of Defense press briefing, Col. Kiviselg said there have been no significant changes on the battlefield over the past week. The EDF colonel explained that while Russia managed to capture a total of nearly 260 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in September, that was 44 percent less than it did in August and more than half the amount it took in July.

Nevertheless, he said the intensity and frequency of combat contact on the front lines has remained at the same level as over the summer, with an average of 180 combat contacts per day.

The focus of Russia's military activity is still concentrated on Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, which it is attempting to capture from Udachne in the south and Dobropilia to the north-

"Ukraine's counteroffensive has significantly fragmented the units of the Russian Federation's armed forces in the Dobropilia direction and therefore slowed down their offensive," Col. Kiviselg explained.

The EDF intelligence center chief added that Russia has managed to make some progress in Kharkiv Oblast in the Kupiansk direction, as well as in the Lyman direction in Donetsk Oblast, and in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, too.

"Due to the nature of the terrain, units from the Russian Federation armed forces have managed to cross the western border of the Donetsk Oblast and move along the border of the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts to cut off the P85 highway connecting Huliaipole and Pokrovsk," Col. Kiviselg said.

He believes Russia's military operations will continue in a similar manner over the coming months, with Russian forces continuing to exert pressure along the entire front line as they seek opportunities for tactical gain.

"Overall, Ukraine's defensive lines are holding, and there is no sign that the Russian Federation will achieve a major breakthrough in the coming weeks," Col. Kiviselg pointed out.

The colonel explained that due to frustration at military setbacks and in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, Russian propagandists are increasingly calling for attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure to inflict as much suffering as possible on the Ukrainian people this winter.

"Irrespective of the current public outcry, this is a very likely possibility," Col. Kiviselg said.

"First, these types of actions would follow established seasonal patterns of behavior in the destruction of Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, and second, the Russians have increased capabilities to carry out these kinds of operations, as evidenced, for example, by the growing number of deep strike weapons they have available for attack."

The EDF colonel also emphasized Russia's actions to disrupt the stable operation of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, which is highly dangerous.

"The aim of such actions is to create a widespread diversion for the Ukrainian authorities, as well as for the international community that is supporting Ukraine. To prevent a large-scale nuclear accident and regional nuclear contamination, Ukraine would need to use all of its domestic resources and suspend its defense activities. It would also require extensive international humanitarian aid, the delivery of which would pose a very high security risk due to Russia's hostile actions."

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