“The situation has gotten worse.” Ukraine warns of Russian advances on the battlefront – Current Affairs

The Ukrainian Army, which failed in its major counteroffensive last year, has faced the Russian advance since the fall of the city of Avdiivka, in the east of the country, in February.

The former Soviet republic, which is facing difficulties recruiting new soldiers and having to manage the delay in sending Western aid, has been forced to retreat in several sectors in recent weeks.

The most recent example happened this Sunday: the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the conquest of Novobakhmutivka, a town 10 kilometers north of Avdiivka, in the province of Donetsk.

“The situation at the front has worsened,” Syrsky wrote in a Facebook post. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, is “attacking along the entire front line”. “The enemy achieved tactical success in some sectors, but in some areas our troops managed to improve the tactical position,” he added.

Syrsky stated that the Russian Army “concentrated efforts in several sectors, establishing a significant advantage in terms of forces and resources to try to break through the front line.”

The general reported “violent fighting” over the past week and described a “dynamic” situation with some positions captured several times a day, by both sides.

The province of Kupiansk, in the northeast of the country, is one of the sectors where the fighting is most intense and where the Russians “achieved partial successes, although they were contained”, said the Ukrainian general.

In the Kramatorsk region, in the east, Moscow’s troops are trying to take the city of Chasiv Yar with the aim of advancing into an area that constitutes an important railway and logistics center.

The “most complicated” situation, however, takes place 70 kilometers away, in the area of ​​Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, scenes of “very violent fighting”, highlighted Syrsky.

The commander admitted that Kiev troops withdrew from the cities of Berdychi, Semenivka and Novomykhailivka. He also said the situation is “tense” in the south of the country.

The Russian advances have provoked criticism from Ukrainian military bloggers, who generally do not question the country’s armed forces. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence director, Kyrylo Budanov, warned this month that the situation at the front will worsen until mid-May and June.

Kiev, however, hopes that the approval in the United States Congress of a new military aid package worth billions of dollars will stabilize the situation.

American President Joe Biden this week promised his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelensky, that aid will arrive “quickly”. The Kremlin, however, minimized the impact of the new aid package.

To strengthen the Army, Zelensky enacted a controversial military mobilization law at the beginning of the month, which aims to facilitate the enlistment of new recruits.

Kiev also suspended consular services abroad for men aged between 18 and 60. The government expects them to return to the country to fight against Russian troops.

Furthermore, Ukrainian leaders warned that the military outlook could worsen in the coming weeks, until American weapons reach the front.

“We continue to wait for the shipment promised to Ukraine,” declared Zelensky in his speech on Sunday afternoon.

After speaking with Hakeem Jeffries, leader of the Democrats in the United States House of Representatives, the Ukrainian president stated that he had once again insisted on the urgent need for Patriot anti-missile systems. “We need them as soon as possible,” he stressed.