Russia said on Wednesday that its troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defenses on the eastern front, while Kiev described the situation there as difficult and asked for faster military help ahead of an expected Russian offensive.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the Ukrainians retreated in the face of Russian attacks in the Luhansk region, although it did not provide details and Reuters was unable to independently verify the account from the battlefield.
“During the offensive… Ukrainian troops randomly retreated to a distance of up to 3 km from the previously occupied lines,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.
“Even the enemy’s most fortified second line of defense could not contain the advance of the Russian military.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said Ukrainian forces had repelled some Russian attacks in Luhansk, but added: “The situation in the region remains difficult.”
The Kremlin has stepped up attacks in a swath of southern and eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, and a major new offensive is expected.
Russia’s main effort is concentrated in the city of Bakhmut, in the province of Donetsk, adjacent to Luhansk.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not mention any significant setbacks in Luhansk in its regular morning update. He said Ukrainian units repelled attacks in the areas of more than 20 settlements, including Bakhmut and Vuhledar – a town 150 km southwest of Bakhmut.
Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russia was in a hurry to achieve as much as it can with its latest push before Ukraine and its allies regain strength.
“That’s why speed is essential,” he said as defense chiefs of the Western military alliance North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met in Brussels for talks that continue into Wednesday. “Speed in everything – making decisions, executing decisions, shipping supplies, training. Speed saves people’s lives.”
The capture of Bakhmut would provide impetus for Russia to advance into two larger cities, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk, giving it progress after months of setbacks before the first anniversary of the invasion on 24 February.
“Battles are literally over every meter of Ukrainian land,” Zelensky said, describing conditions on the eastern frontline in his evening speech on Tuesday.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said there was fighting “around every house” in Bakhmut. “The situation remains extremely difficult, but under the control of our forces and the front line has not moved,” he said in a YouTube video.
Source: CNN Brasil
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