Heavy fighting along the Eastern Front
Syrskyj accuses commanders of making misjudgments
February 29, 2024, 2:07 p.m
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The situation around Avdiivka remains tense for the Ukrainian armed forces. The Russians are trying to break through on several sectors of the front. Commander-in-Chief Syrskyj is providing more ammunition to “improve the situation on the ground” – but is also critical.
Almost two weeks after the Russian conquest of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army is having problems stabilizing the front line west of the ruined city. Tough fighting was taking place on the section of the front along the line of the villages of Tonenke, Orlivka, Semenivka and Berdychi, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Alexander Syrskyj said on Telegram. The colonel general had specially traveled to the section in the Donetsk region to get an overview of the situation. He accused several commanders of making errors in judgment. This put the Ukrainian units in trouble.
According to Syrskyj, Russian units were pushed out of Orlivka. In addition, new reserves and additional ammunition were allocated to “improve the situation on site”. However, the situation on the Eastern Front remains difficult. The day before, Russian stormtroopers tried to break through the Ukrainian defense lines and capture the settlements of Tonenke, Orlivka, Semenivka, Berdychi and Krasnohorivka. “The enemy is continuing its offensive operations in many areas of the front line. The situation is particularly tense in the Avdiivka and Zaporizhia sectors,” said Syrsky.
Kyiv: Fighter planes shot down again
The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed previous reports from Russian military bloggers about another strike on a Russian unit using rocket launcher systems. Accordingly, 19 Russian soldiers were killed and twelve injured near Olenivka in the Donetsk region. In addition, the Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down two more Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jets. This means that a dozen planes, including a reconnaissance plane belonging to the Russian army, have already been shot down since the fall of Avdiivka. There were no independent confirmations of any kills. However, the Russian Air Force has recently increased the use of glide bombs dropped from aircraft along the front line.
Kiev also suffered another military setback. Ukrainian special forces confirmed that they suffered heavy losses at an undisclosed location. It was about covering a retreat during a special operation. According to Russian reports, a Ukrainian attempt to land five motorboats at the Tendra headland in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine failed. Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion with massive Western support for over two years. Including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014, Moscow controls almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory.