The situation on the eastern front “has worsened considerably in recent days,” the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, said on Saturday. He warned of the advance of the Russian army in this part of the country. Kiev is trying to mobilize more soldiers and insists on the need for international aid.
(RFI) The advance of Moscow’s troops in eastern Ukraine is due “primarily to a significant intensification of the enemy’s offensive after the presidential elections in Russia” in mid-March, Syrsky wrote on Telegram. The military officer added that “decisions have been made to strengthen defense in the most problematic areas,” with the support of the anti-aircraft system.
The Russian army is currently attacking Ukrainian positions in the Lyman, Bakhmut and Pokrovsk areas, in the east of the country, with groups supported by armored vehicles,” Syrsky reiterated. Moscow’s advance is explained, among other things, by the “hot, dry weather”, which favors tank access to these areas, he explained.
On the same Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its soldiers had managed to take the town of Pervomaisk, southwest of the city of Avdiivka, which they conquered last February. According to the Ukrainian commander, Moscow’s troops, despite having suffered some losses, are mobilizing “new armoured units” with which they are achieving “tactical successes”.
In recent days, the Russians have increased pressure around Chasiv Yar, a town on the eastern front that is under “constant fire”, according to Kiev. The town is less than 30 km from Kramatorsk, an important rail and logistics junction, and the main city in the Ukrainian-controlled region.
Technical superiority
“The question of the enemy’s technical superiority in the field of high-tech weapons is once again coming to the fore,” said Syrsky. “Only in this way will we be able to defeat a larger enemy,” insisted the Ukrainian commander, in an implicit demand for more weapons from Kiev’s Western allies. According to him, it is also necessary to “improve the quality of military training”, he noted.
Ukraine, invaded by Russia in February 2022, has been asking its Western allies for more ammunition and anti-aircraft defense systems for months.
In the United States, the Republican-majority Congress has for months blocked the approval of an additional aid package of 60 billion dollars. “Without support it will be difficult for us to win, or even survive” as a country, Volodymyr Zelensky insisted recently. And “if Ukraine loses the war, other states will be attacked,” he warned.
More soldiers
Another important issue for the Kiev authorities is the deployment of more soldiers. On Thursday (11), the Ukrainian parliament passed a controversial law to mobilize more troops to counter Russia’s attacks, after months of heated debate.
This text, which considerably increases sanctions against those who resist, caused a scandal due to the last-minute deletion of a clause providing for exceptions for soldiers who have already served 36 months. The decision was a blow to soldiers who have been fighting for more than two years.
(With information from AFP) *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***