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fullscreen Ukrainian soldiers near Bachmut in the Donetsk region. Picture from last week. Photo: Aleks Babenko/AP/TT
Russian forces have made at least 70 attempts to break through the front near the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army says. Russia is feared to be trying to fit in while Ukraine is short of weapons, and ahead of the Russian notice date of May 9.
Russia claims to have captured the village of Novobachmutivka just north of Donetsk. All around, there is apparently heavy fighting – 55 attacks on the front have been repulsed in nearby villages, according to the Ukrainian army.
The city of Donetsk itself is occupied by Russia, and also to the west of it, the Russians “with air support on 15 occasions tried to break through our defenses”, Ukraine announces.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the defense forces had in some places been forced to retreat to new defense lines further west.
Ukraine is impatiently waiting for new arms deliveries after the US gave the go-ahead last week for a huge support package valued at over SEK 650 billion.
There are also fears that the Russian military is making big efforts to have successes to show for May 9, when Russia celebrates Victory Day due to Germany’s surrender in World War II.