Russia expands offensive on village after Ukraine miss, Kyiv awaits weapons | War in Ukraine

The Russian army has slowly made territorial gains in recent months near a handful of villages in eastern Ukraine. For months there was heavy fighting at Avdiivka.

But due to a tactical blunder by Ukraine, the Russian army was suddenly able to advance for miles. Things went wrong with the rotation of military brigades, after which Russia was able to easily cross large areas of terrain.

Ukraine now still controls two-thirds of the village. “The part occupied by Russia is being bombed,” said army spokesman Nazar Voloshyn. “The situation is under control. The enemy is surrounded and we are taking action to recapture the village.”

Just north of Ocheretyne the Russians continue to fight at Chasiv Yar. That town is in a strategically strong location: on top of a hill. It is seen as an important place to advance to larger cities in the Donets Basin.

The Ukrainian army hopes to turn the tide in the war with American weaponry. This week, US President Joe Biden signed a new support package worth 61 billion euros. The Pentagon later issued a statement saying it would “accelerate” the deployment of air defense systems and artillery to Ukraine.

It also became known that the Americans secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky states that Russia wants to launch a new, large-scale offensive at the end of May or in June.