Russia has a force of 20,000-25,000 troops trying to storm the eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar and surrounding villages, the Ukrainian military said today, describing the situation in the area as difficult.
Ukraine is in full control of Chasiv Yar, which sits on a strategic hill in the partially occupied Donetsk region, but Kiev’s top military commander said Russia was seeking to capture the city by May 9, when Victory Day of the Soviet Union in World War II.
“The situation around the city is very difficult, but the situation is under control… Our defenders are strengthening and stabilizing the line,” said Nazar Volosin, a spokesman for the eastern military command.
“There are somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000 Russian soldiers trying to invade Chasiv Yar and the nearby settlements,” he told Suspilne public television.
The capture of Chasiv Yar will bring Russia closer to two strategically important cities under Ukrainian control, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
Russian forces have made territorial gains of late, while long-delayed US military aid is expected to arrive in Ukraine within days of its expected final approval this week.
“It is difficult for our soldiers, but receiving the necessary help will balance the situation,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post.
Capture of Novomikhailivka
Earlier it was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense that Russian forces captured the village of Novomykhailivka, located 40 kilometers southwest of the Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
The Ukrainian general staff said today in its regular morning report that Kiev forces continue to repel attempts by Russian forces to advance near the village.
The village of Novomikhailivka is not far from the city of Vugledar, where the southern and eastern fronts intersect, and which Russia has been trying to capture for two years.
AFP notes that Russian forces regularly announce the capture of villages and have the initiative, as the Ukrainian army faces shortages of ammunition and recruits.
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