Russia says its defense minister visited the Zaporizhzhia area of southern Ukraine.

Russia’s defense minister has visited troops near the front line in the partially controlled Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine, according to a statement issued Friday by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The Zaporizhzhia region, about half of which is occupied by Russian forces, is considered the focus of Ukraine’s counterattack.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its top official, Sergei K. Shoigu, inspected a forward command post in the Zaporizhzhia region, where he was briefed on the “current situation” and “combat tasks performed by Russian forces.” A video accompanying the statement on the Telegram messaging app showed Mr Shoigu walking through concrete corridors underground, meeting with commanders and placing medals on soldiers.

The ministry did not specify when or exactly where the visit took place. As in March, when the ministry said he visited the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, details of Mr Shoigu’s trip could not be independently verified.

That comes as Ukrainian officials say preparations for a counterattack are in their final stages, and amid signs of concern about the campaign among Russian pro-war military bloggers. In recent weeks, Russian occupation authorities in more than ten towns and villages in the Zaporizhzhia region have issued “mandatory” evacuation orders, citing intensified fighting.

Some of the deadliest fighting of the war in recent months has involved Russia’s efforts to retake the town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. As Ukrainian forces advanced last week in the north and south of the city, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the head of the private military company Wagner that led many of the attacks in Bakhmut, said that the Ukrainian counterattack was “in full swing.”

Mr. Prigozhin, who is known for his outspoken and often self-deprecating comments, said last week that Ukrainian forces intended to attack Wagner’s forces in and around Bakhmut, then target Zaporizhzhia.

In a statement on Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said that Mr Shoigu had ordered his commanders to “conduct comprehensive reconnaissance” to discover Ukraine’s plans “before and prevent their implementation.”