The situation on the ground
Here is an update on the situation, based on information from journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP) on site, official Ukrainian and Russian statements, Western sources, analysts and international organizations.
kyiv on Wednesday recognized an advance by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, with the capture of several localities in the Kharkiv region and in the Donbass. From Izium, already under their control, the Russian forces lead an assault in the direction of Barvinkove, further south. They took the locality of Zavody and the northeastern suburbs of the locality of Velyka Komychouvakha, announced the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense in its morning report. Further east, towards Lyman, the Russian army took the town of Zaritchne and “made assault attempts near Iampil”he continued.
Near Sievierodonetsk, one of the major cities in the region with 100,000 inhabitants before the war, forces from Moscow have taken control of the locality of Novotochkivske and are leading an offensive in the direction of Nijyn and Orikhiv, according to the same source.
Russian air activity is concentrated in the south and east of the country in support of the land forces, for its part evokes the British Ministry of Defence, which specifies that “Ukraine retains control of most of its airspace”. “The Russians are pushing into the Donbass, they are managing to take a few villages, a few towns, they are making progress, but it’s a fight that will be difficult, very slow, and the cost of which will be high in terms of losses”believes a French military source.
The Russian army said on Wednesday that it destroyed in a strike a ” large quantity “ arms delivered to Ukraine by the United States and European countries. “Sheds with a large amount of foreign weapons and ammunition, delivered to the Ukrainian forces by the United States and European countries, were destroyed with high-precision Kalibr missiles fired from the sea at the aluminum plant from Zaporizhia », in the south-east of Ukraine, announced the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Russian military also claims to have carried out airstrikes against 59 Ukrainian targets, including 50 where troops were located and four ammunition depots. “Russia continues to target Ukrainian military targets and infrastructure across the country”according to the British Ministry of Defence.
The Ukrainian army claimed to have bombed Russian positions on Serpents’ Island in the Black Sea, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance since the start of the invasion by Russian forces on February 24. Russia has not confirmed that any shots hit the island.
The situation seems to be deteriorating in western Ukraine. Authorities in the pro-Russian separatist republic of Transnistria in Moldova said on Wednesday that a village bordering Ukraine hosting a large Russian ammunition depot had come under fire after being overflown by drones. “Last night, several drones were spotted over the village of Kolbasna”said the “Ministry of the Interior” of Transnistria, adding that on Wednesday morning, “shots were fired in the direction of Kolbasna from Ukraine” without causing casualties.