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Recommitting troops to Donetsk Oblast will likely lead to an intensification of operations around Bakhmut, the city of Donetsk, and western Donetsk Oblast, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update.
While Russian forces will likely make gains in these areas in the near future, they are unlikely to be significant, the ISW said.
Any territorial claims made on the area by Russia may be an attempt to deflect discontent around the withdrawal from parts of Kherson Oblast, according to the ISW.