That’s according to Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, founder of the "Close the sky over Ukraine" charitable foundation and former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces (2006–2010), who spoke on Espreso TV.“In addition to the 100,000-strong Russian grouping concentrated near Pokrovsk, the enemy is forming another force of around 100,000 troops with a political aim toward the Dnipro region. Fierce battles are ongoing along the border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Moreover, the Russians have brought in reserves to the Zaporizhzhia axis,” Romanenko noted.According to him, Russia has now formed up to 13 divisions — approximately 120,000 troops — though Western analysts suggest the total force may be as high as 160,000.“In recent months, the enemy has been less aggressive in using armored vehicles, instead accumulating hundreds of units. This makes the second stage of Russia’s 2025 military campaign, starting in August, especially dangerous. By fall, they plan to deploy these resources,” Romanenko warned.To counter this threat, he emphasized, Ukraine urgently needs long-range strike capabilities.“We are working around the clock on this, and our allies have pledged to help. Germany, for example, has promised to deliver long-range systems with a range of up to 300 kilometers by the end of July. Domestically, we are addressing personnel shortages by replenishing brigades,” he said.“Very hard times are ahead for Ukraine,” Romanenko concluded. “The Ukrainian Defense Forces must rapidly build up their capacity to withstand a possible large-scale Russian offensive starting in August — although we’re already seeing a high intensity of combat operations on the ground.”Russia is likely preparing for a new phase of its summer offensive. There are signs of increased combat activity on the front, particularly mechanized attacks in several directions.