Ukraine on Monday acknowledged a "complicated" situation north of Bakhmout, the epicenter of fighting in the east of the country, where the Russian army claimed the capture of a new village, continuing its attempt to encircle this fortress city of Donbass.
A city of some 70,000 inhabitants before the war, Bakhmout was largely destroyed by more than six months of fighting which caused heavy losses on both sides. While its strategic importance is disputed, the city has acquired a status as a symbol of the struggle between Moscow and kyiv for control of this industrial eastern region.
After several months marked by artillery duels without significant gains on the ground, Russian troops have made progress in recent weeks, particularly north of Bakhmout, where they captured the town of Soledar and its salt mines last month.
The situation is "complicated" in the village of Paraskoviïvka, south of Soledar and about ten kilometers from the center of Bakhmout, which "faces intense bombing and assaults" Russian, recognized Monday the Ukrainian presidency.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, "the adversary is constantly changing tactics". "Sometimes he attacks in small assault groups, then he uses dozens of people mobilized for an assault. Sometimes he multiplies the night bombardments, systematically hits the rear cities with missiles", he detailed.
“Sometimes the occupier appears stronger and more numerous,” the ministry noted again on Telegram, while affirming that the Russian offensive was doomed to a “great failure”.
The Russian army has claimed the capture of the village of Krasna Gora, in the immediate vicinity of Paraskoviïvka.
The capture of Krasna Gora had been claimed on Sunday by the boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Evguéni Prigojine, whose men are on the front line in this battle.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian army said that "the Bakhmout sector is still the main area of enemy attacks" with 167 shellings and 41 armed clashes reported in the previous 24 hours.
Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine claimed on Friday that troops from Moscow now had three of Ukraine's four supply routes to Bakhmut under their control.
The Ukrainian army also reported a "record number of shellings" near Lyman, further north, a town which had been abandoned by the Russians in October in the face of a powerful Ukrainian counter-offensive and where they had narrowly escaped. to an encirclement.
In the city of Kupyansk, north of the front line, AFP journalists observed on Monday buildings destroyed and riddled with bullets and streets littered with charred and overturned cars.
After a loud explosion rocked the city in the early morning, residents said they feared an imminent Russian assault.
"There was shelling in front of my house, which broke all the windows. There are explosions every day, it's very scary," said Olga, a 62-year-old resident.
The Ukrainian presidency also reported a "tense" situation near Vougledar, further south, where Russian troops are on the attack.
In Kherson, in southern Ukraine, three people have been killed and one injured in shelling in the past 24 hours, according to the same source.
On the political front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday appointed a new head of Ukraine's security services (SBU), Vassyl Maliouk, a combat officer, and a new Interior Minister, Igor Klymenko, whose task will be to form new assault brigades.
Defense Minister Oleksiï Reznikov, weakened by a corruption scandal, has set him the objectives of the next meeting with kyiv's Western allies scheduled for Tuesday in Brussels.
On Monday, he cited on Facebook anti-aircraft defense against Russian missiles, the delivery of modern tanks and ammunition to Ukraine, soldier training and logistics.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, however, warned on Monday that kyiv was using more ammunition than the Atlantic Alliance was currently producing. “It puts our defense industries under pressure,” he added.
Ukraine has in recent weeks reaped promises of arms deliveries, crucial for its war effort. But kyiv is urging the West to provide it with long-range weapons and fighter jets to deal with Moscow's troops.
13/02/2023 18:35:36 - Kiev (Ukraine) (AFP) © 2023 AFP
