On Saturday, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the chief of Ukraine’s military forces, conveyed that the circumstances on the eastern front had seen a notable deterioration in recent times. He indicated Russia was amping up its armoured attacks and violent clashes were ongoing for the dominion of a village to the west of the destroyed city of Bakhmut.
More than two years have passed since Russia initiated this invasion and the mood in Kyiv continues to darken. In particular, they are anxiously awaiting the crucial military aid from the US, which they had assumed would have arrived months ago but remains held up in Congress.
According to General Syrskyi, he was prompted to visit the conflict-ridden region as Russia’s assault groups were maximising the benefits of warm, dry weather that facilitated their tank manoeuvres and interventions using armoured personnel carriers.
The general highlighted that the intensification of the situation on the eastern front was mostly due to a distinct rise in hostile activity from the enemy post-Russia’s presidential elections.
Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin secured his position with a manipulated election in mid-March, Russia has escalated its aggressive engagements with Ukraine. This includes three extensive aerial strikes on Ukraine’s energy systems, causing severe harm to power stations and substations.
The delay in receiving military help from the Western powers has rendered Ukraine more vulnerable to such aerial strikes. It’s also left them at a tactical disadvantage on the battlefield, leading to growing pleas for supplies of air defence missiles recently.
Despite suffering considerable casualties, Moscow’s forces have seen some tactical wins during their offensives in the East, Mr Syrskyi pointed out.
There were reports on social media channels about the fall of the eastern Ukrainian village of Bohdanivka, located to the west of Bakhmut. Following this, Kiev’s defence ministry on Saturday was compelled to refute these claims, although they did acknowledge the intense conflict in the region. They stated that Bohdanivka is still under the control of the defence forces.
This particular village is located north-east of the town of Chasiv Yar, a stronghold controlled by Kyiv, which Russia has been making efforts to reach after taking over the town of Avdiivka to the south in February.
Mr Syrskyi stated that Russian armoured assault groupings were launching attacks on Kyiv’s positions across the Lyman and Bakhmut fronts, making use of numerous tanks and armoured commando carriers to attempt a breach on the Pokrovsk front line. The Chief of the Ukrainian military expressed that a technological superiority in advanced weaponry is the only chance for Kyiv to snatch strategic control from an adversary larger and better outfitted.
He voiced the need for improved training of soldiers, particularly the infantry, highlighting the manpower issues faced by Ukraine. The Ukrainian parliament approved a legislation on Thursday to amend the way the military conscript civilians. Moreover, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy assented to a law last week reducing the conscription age from 27 to 25. This information is as per Reuters.
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