Media names next likely AFU target after Kherson

Ukraine will not freeze the conflict and will advance in the south and the east in order to free its territory from the occupants, The New York Times has said.

Gazata noted that many analysts had suggested that Ukraine might take a pause in winter, but the publication said that the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces indicated that Ukraine intended to retake the territories faster.

The NYT notes that Ukrainian forces "show no signs of stopping the offensive and will not allow the war to reach a stalemate".

Citing military officials close to the fighting in Ukraine, the publication writes, "there are increasing hints that the Ukrainians are preparing for a new ground offensive".

Analysts say the next offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces may be directed southwards through Zaporizhzhya Region in the direction of Melitopol:

Ukrainian forces could challenge Russia, its control of the southern region

Journalists cite a senior lieutenant, commander of an anti-tank unit defending the town of Bakhmut in Donbass, who believes there will be counterattacks in other directions so that the enemy will not have time to move reserves and block strikes

And while other experts admit a slowdown in military action on the front, they predict full-scale fighting will resume in the spring:

Ukraine's next targets are likely to be either towards Melitopol in the south or in the east, a continued offensive that has knocked Russian troops out of Kharkiv Region to retreat to the town of Svatove in Luhansk Region, which has been the centre of fighting for the past month

However, experts agree that whether there is a pause or not, the next phase will be brutal.