War in Ukraine: kyiv says it is resisting an attempted Russian breakthrough in the East

Russia continues its methodical advance in eastern Ukraine, both through bombings and, on the front, by winning town by town. EPA – SERGEY KOZLOV

The Russian army continues its advance in the East. Ukraine is resisting while awaiting the delivery of American weapons.

Russia has deployed reinforcements in the locality of Ocheretyne to try to confirm its breakthrough in this sector of eastern Ukraine but the Ukrainian forces continue to hold out and hope that deliveries of American weapons will allow them to reverse the dynamics of the fighting, the Ukrainian army said on Saturday.

A methodical progression

Since taking the town of Avdiivka in February after weeks of fighting, the Russian army has been methodically advancing in the east ;#39;Ukraine and conquered several villages in the face of clearly exhausted Ukrainian troops forced to manage artillery stocks that it cannot renew. Fighting raged on Saturday in Ocheretyne but, according to Nazar Voloshin, spokesperson for the eastern command of the Ukrainian forces, the latter are in control of the situation and still hold two thirds of the village.

The lock towards Donbass

In the northern part of the front in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces are trying at all costs to seize the strategic locality of Chasiv Yar but failed to enter the city, added this Ukrainian spokesperson. Due to its location on a promontory, Chassiv Yar is considered a lock blocking access to the Donbass towns controlled by Ukraine in the east of its territory. The Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and equipped against the Russians but hope that the American military aid finally released last week will allow them to reverse the trend, said Nazar Voloshin.