The Ukrainian army has been on the defensive since the failure of its major counter-offensive last summer and faces renewed Russian initiative after the fall of the eastern fortress town of Avdiivka in February .
Struggling to mobilize new soldiers and faced with the drying up of Western aid, Ukraine has had to retreat recently in several sectors, as illustrated by Moscow’s demand on Sunday for the capture of a new village.
Russia “actively attacks all along the front line, it achieves tactical successes in certain sectors”General Syrsky said on Facebook.
According to him, the Russian army “concentrated its efforts in several sectors, thus creating a significant advantage in terms of forces and means”in order to “attempt to take the strategic initiative and break through the front line”.
He reported from “violent fighting” over the past week, evoking a situation “dynamic” with some positions captured by one side and then the other several times over the course of a single day.
According to him, the Ukrainian troops nevertheless managed to “improve their tactical position” in certain areas.
Among the areas where the fighting is most intense is the Kupiansk sector, in the northeast of the country, where the Russians have “had partial successes, but were stopped”said General Syrsky.
Tense situation in the south of the country according to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army
In the Kramatorsk sector (east), Russian troops are on the offensive to take the town of Chassiv Iar, but the “most complicated situation” is concentrated in the area of Pokrovsk and Kurakhové, where “fierce fighting continues”he said.
He admitted that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn from the towns of Berdychi, Semenivka, and Novomykhailivka, and also spoke of a ” tense situation “ in the south of the country.
Russia claimed on Sunday the capture of a new village on the Eastern Front, that of Novobakhmoutivka, located northwest of the town of Avdiïvka.
This village is located near that of Ocherytne, quickly invaded this week by Russian forces who currently control most of it according to observers, which has sparked criticism from Ukrainian military bloggers.
A law to facilitate the enlistment of new recruits
The Telegram channel DeepState, close to the Ukrainian army and followed by more than 700,000 people, blamed the command of a unit deployed there, the 115e motorized brigade, for “the collapse of defenses throughout the region, causing considerable losses”.
In this context, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov predicted on Monday that the situation would worsen around mid-May and early June, which will be a ” hard time “ for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian authorities, however, hope to fill the arms and ammunition deficit thanks to the envelope of some 61 billion dollars in aid approved by the American Congress after months of blockage due to political quarrels in Washington.
To replenish the ranks of the army, Volodymyr Zelensky also promulgated in April a controversial law on military mobilization, intended to facilitate the enlistment of new recruits.
