Russia has not given up on plans to take control of the entire Donbas region. This is stated by Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, who describes the situation in eastern Ukraine as difficult.
“Currently this is the enemy’s main offensive line,” writes Hanna Mailar on Telegram, according to The Guardian.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, both sides have suffered heavy losses in recent days. The Russian losses have probably not been this great since the Battle of Bachmut, says a situation update on the war.
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Hanna Mailar describes the situation in eastern Ukraine as “difficult”. She states that Russia has deployed more troops to the front line, and they have not given up on plans to occupy all of Donbass.
“Currently this is the enemy’s main offensive line. Therefore, it has concentrated a significant number of units in the east, especially the airborne assault units,” Hanna Mailar writes on Telegram, according to The Guardian.
Ukraine liberated another village
At the same time, there are reports that Ukraine has recaptured another village, Piatykhatky in the western Zaporizhzhya region.
In such cases, it is the first village Ukraine recaptures in almost a week. Piatykhatky is about two kilometers southeast of the village of Lobkove, which Ukraine says was liberated on Monday.
A Russian-installed official in the region writes in a post on Telegram that Ukrainian forces have “operational control” of the village after heavy fighting, according to The Guardian.
So far, Ukraine has not confirmed the data.
Kremlin responds to UN criticism
In the British Ministry of Defence’s latest situation update, it is stated that Russia has very likely moved forces from the Dnipro to Zaporizhzhia and Bachmut.
According to the ministry, this is probably because Russia does not fear a large-scale Ukrainian attack on the Russian-controlled area after the dam collapse.
The United Nations has criticized Russia for blocking aid and supplies to the flooded area. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is now responding, saying there is constant shelling from the Ukrainian side of the river.
“It is very difficult to guarantee their safety,” he says according to The Guardian, which refers to Russian Tass.