The situation on the front in eastern Ukraine has worsened and Kiev's forces have withdrawn to new positions in at least three areas, said the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Sirsky, quoted by Reuters, writes BTA.
The statement reflects the deterioration of the Ukrainian army's position in the eastern part of the country, which Kiev hopes to stabilize after receiving a new shipment of American weapons as part of a $61 billion aid package approved this week, the agency said.
"The situation at the front has worsened," Sirsky wrote in "Telegram", pointing out that it is "most difficult" in the areas west of the occupied town of Mariinka and northwest of the town of Avdeevka, which Russian forces captured in February.
Syrsky added that Kiev troops have taken up new positions west of the villages of Berdichi and Semyonovka, which are located north of Avdeyevka, as well as west of the village of Novomihailovka, located south of Mariinka.
"Overall, the enemy achieved certain tactical successes in these areas, but failed to gain operational advantages," he noted, adding that Russia had committed four brigades to the attack.
In these areas, freshly rested Ukrainian brigades are being rotated to replace lost units, Sirsky also said.
In his statement in "Telegram" there was no mention of the village of Novobakhmutovka, which the Russian Defense Ministry said earlier today had been captured by Moscow forces, Reuters noted.
After capturing the Avdeyevka bastion, the Russian army began to slowly advance, taking advantage of the shortage of Ukrainian artillery shells and manpower, Reuters also wrote. Online maps of the battlefield produced by open-source intelligence analysts show that since the capture of Avdeyevka, Russian forces have advanced more than 15 km in the direction of the village of Ocheretino.
Further along the front, the Kiev-held town of Chasov Yar is a key emerging battleground due to its elevated position that can serve as an approach to the cities of Kostantinovka, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
Sirski defined Chasov Yar and the village of Ivanovsko located in the northeast as the "hottest spots" in this part of the front. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had repelled Ukrainian counterattacks near Chasov Yar.
Syrsky said his forces were closely monitoring the increase in the number of Russian troops in the area of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv. The northeastern city of 1.3 million people, located just 30 km from the Russian border, has come under airstrikes in recent months, which Kiev says the Russian army is deliberately trying to make it uninhabitable.
According to Sirski, there are signs that Russia is preparing for an offensive in the northern part of the country. "In the most threatened directions, our troops have been reinforced with artillery and tank units," he stressed.
Ukraine is currently awaiting months-delayed US military aid, which officials say is critical to deterring the Russian invasion.
A Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters this week that Russia was carrying out airstrikes on Ukrainian railways to disrupt the delivery of US weapons to the front and hamper military logistics.