[1/2] Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, speaks with Reuters during an interview, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 7, 2023.
"Attempts at an offensive in either the Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia direction will of course be made," he said, speaking in his office in the capital, Kyiv.
Russian forces have been trying to encircle and capture Bakhmut for weeks at a steep cost.
Danilov said Kyiv expected Russia to seek to achieve demonstrable results around the one-year anniversary of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces could try to attack from Moscow's ally Belarus to the northwest.