by Reuters bureaux
In the Donetsk region of Ukraine on February 1, 2023, Ukrainian forces observe from a military truck their positions close to the battle line as Russia attacks Ukraine. Oleksandr Ratushniak for Reuters
Reuters, February 2, KYIV – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and a top defence official gave ominous descriptions of Russian forces approaching and bombarding Donetsk, the primary theatre of the 11-month conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Related Posts:
Hanna Malyar, the deputy defence minister, said on Wednesday night that fierce battle continued in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops are attempting to take foothold close to the important supplies hub of Lyman.
Russian artillery and tank fire hit Bakhmut town and several other towns, according to a statement released by the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces on Wednesday night. Russian military have been relentlessly shelling Bakhmut for months.
Separately, the statement claimed that Avdiivka, another important target, the nearby disputed town of Maryinka, and other communities had also been attacked.
“The occupiers’ offensive activities on the front in our country’s east have seen a noticeable uptick. The circumstance has worsened, “In a video message on Wednesday night, Zelenskiy remarked.
According to Zelenskiy, the Russian soldiers were attempting to make advances that they could display on the anniversary of their February 24, 2022 assault.
KRAMATORSK IS HIT BY A ROCK
In the eastern city of Kramatorsk, which is roughly 55 kilometres (34 miles) northwest of Bakhmut town, a Russian strike on Wednesday night resulted in the destruction of a residential building, resulting in at least three fatalities and 20 injuries, according to police. The police later claimed that an Iskander-K tactical missile had struck at 9:45 p.m. after local authorities had claimed that Russia had fired a rocket (1945 GMT).
“There were damages to at least eight residential structures. One of them was totally obliterated “police wrote on Facebook. “People could be hiding under the debris.”
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the regional governor, shared a photo that appeared to show significant damage
to a four-story building in Kramatorsk. The Ukrainian affiliate of Radio Free Europe released a brief video clip that showed rescuers labouring in the dark while snow covered the ruins.
When a Russian missile struck an apartment building in the city of Dnipro in January, at least 44 people died. According to Ukraine, 57 persons perished in April 2022 when a Russian missile struck the Kramatorsk train station. Moscow claimed that the missile was Ukrainian while denying any involvement.
Russian forces have allegedly committed war crimes and targeted civilians, accusations that Ukraine and its Western allies have refuted.
OFFENSIVE TO RUSSIAN
Russia declared that it was refocusing its military operation to seize control of the industrialised
eastern area known as the Donbas after an early campaign advance on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv ended in failure.
It is made up of the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, which Moscow declared annexed in September as a result of fraudulent referendums that were condemned by the majority of nations. Russian soldiers now dominate most of the Luhansk region after a steady southward and eastward advance in recent months. Moscow-aligned rebels seized substantial portions of both in 2014. Local proxies claim that approximately half of the Donetsk region has been taken by Russian forces.
OFFENSIVE TO RUSSIAN
After an early, unsuccessful attempt to seize Kiev, “In the east, fighting is fierce. In the Lyman sector, the enemy is attempting to widen the scope of its offensive “On the Telegram message platform,
the deputy minister Mylar remarked. It is making strong efforts to get past our defences.
In October, Ukrainian forces expelled Russian forces from Lyman, dealing a serious blow to a military that had more soldiers and equipment.
by Reuters bureaux
