situation at the front has deteriorated

NOS News•today, 7:18 PM

The situation at the front has deteriorated for Ukraine. Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of the Ukrainian army, wrote this in a Facebook post. Russia “is actively attacking the entire front line, achieving tactical successes in some sectors.”

According to the commander-in-chief, Russia has a “significant advantage” in terms of troops and equipment. There was heavy fighting last week, with captured positions sometimes changing camps several times a day, he writes.

Syrsky admits that Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from several villages in Donetsk province. He speaks about brutal fighting in the area around the city of Pokrovsk, a city in Donetsk that is still in the hands of Ukraine. The situation there is said to be “the most complicated” at the moment.

Earlier today, the Russian news agency Interfax reported that the Russian army has captured the village of Novobachmutivka. Syrsky confirms this in the message on Facebook.

The Ukrainian army has been on the defensive since the fall of the strategic city of Avdijivka in February. In addition, a shortage of troops, anti-aircraft defenses, weapons and ammunition is hampering the Ukrainians.

The arms shortage can be partly eliminated in the coming weeks, now that the American parliament has approved a new support package of $ 61 billion.

However, experts say it will take weeks before this support package actually has an effect on the battlefield. “It is not the case that the world will look very different tomorrow,” said Mart de Kruif, former Commander of the Army, last week. According to him, it is a matter of slowly building up for the Ukrainian army. Until then, Russia can still benefit from the shortages on the Ukrainian side.