In an interview with TSN on June 30, Syrskyi said Vladimir Putin had instructed Russia’s General Staff to examine several offensive scenarios, including an operation from Belarusian territory aimed at capturing Kyiv and other Ukrainian areas. However, he said such a move appeared unlikely at present, adding that Ukraine and Western analysts currently see no signs of a strike group forming in Belarus. “The most likely scenario, and this is confirmed by several data sources, is possible offensive action in the north from the territory of Russia, from the Bryansk region,” Syrskyi said. He said a Russian push into Chernihiv Oblast would be intended to seize territory and stretch Ukraine’s defenses, forcing Kyiv to divert reserves from other sections of the front. Authorities in Chernihiv Oblast ordered mandatory evacuations from 12 border settlements beginning July 1 and extended earlier evacuation orders to seven additional villages. The measures affect communities near the Russian and Belarusian borders, where the threat of escalation remains high. Russia used Belarusian territory during its February 2022 full-scale invasion, when forces advanced toward Kyiv before withdrawing in the spring of that year.