Russian troops are preparing for a simultaneous assault on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
"Russian forces can create conditions for a possible assault on Kramatorsk, which will go hand in hand with the attack on Sloviansk", - the message says.
It is noted that on July 7, russian troops continued offensive operations on the border of the Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts in the direction of Sloviansk.
Russian forces also shelled several locations northwest of Sloviansk, including Sulyhivka, Adamivka, Krasnopillia, Mazanivka, Dibrivne and Dolyna.
Russian forces additionally delivered limited artillery strikes south of Barvinkove and shelled Nikopol and Novopavlivka.
"These strikes may indicate that the russian forces are seeking to bypass Barvinkove from the east and either move towards the E40 Izium-Sloviansk highway to advance southeast towards Sloviansk, or move directly southeast from Barvinkove towards Kramatorsk" - the ISW notes.