Ukraine’s commander-in-chief said Kiev’s outnumbered troops had retreated to new positions west of three villages on the Eastern Front, where Russia had concentrated significant forces in several locations.
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskii’s statement on Sunday reflected Ukraine’s deteriorating situation in the east, which Kiev hopes to stabilize once it accepts arms shipments from the United States as part of a $61 billion aid package approved in the U.S. this week. receives dollars.
“The situation on the front has deteriorated,” Syrskii wrote on the Telegram app, describing the “most difficult” areas west of occupied Maryinka and northwest of Avdiivka, the town captured by Russian forces in February.
Kiev’s troops had taken up new positions west of the villages of Berdychi and Semenivka, both north of Avdiivka, and Novomykhailivka, further south near the town of Maryinka.
“In general, the enemy achieved certain tactical successes in these areas, but was unable to gain operational advantages,” Syrskii said, adding that Russia deployed four brigades for the attack.
Freshly rested Ukrainian brigades would be rotated into those areas to replace units that suffered losses, he said.
His statement did not mention the status of Novobachmutivka, another village near Berdychi, which Russia’s Defense Ministry said was captured by its forces on Sunday.
Superior ammunition and air power
Al Jazeera’s John Holman reported from Kiev that Russian forces were focused on several different points along the front.
“This gives them the initiative on the battlefield,” Holman also said, adding that the Russian side has superior ammunition and air power.
He said Ukrainian army personnel on the front lines told Al Jazeera that “they are coming under fire six or seven to one.”
Holman added that the Ukrainian military is waiting for recently approved U.S. aid to arrive, closing the firepower gap between the sides.
Ukrainian officials say the aid is crucial to repelling Russia’s two-year-old invasion.
Since capturing the bastion city of Avdiivka, Moscow’s troops have been advancing slowly, taking advantage of Ukraine’s shortage of artillery shells and manpower.
Online battlefield maps created by open-source intelligence analysts suggest they have advanced more than 15 km (9.3 miles) toward the village of Ocheretyne since taking Avdiivka.
Further along the front, the Ukrainian-held town of Khasiv Yar is a key battlefield because of its location on high ground that could serve as a gateway to the towns of Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Syrskiy described Chasiv Yar and the village of Ivanivske in the northeast as the “hottest places” on this part of the front. The Russian Defense Ministry said it repelled Ukrainian counterattacks near Khasiv Yar.
Syrskii said his forces were closely monitoring the increase in the number of Russian troops in the area of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in what could be a worrying development for Ukraine.
The northeastern city of 1.3 million people – just 30 km (18.6 miles) from the Russian border – has been hit by airstrikes in recent months, in what Kiev says is a deliberate attempt by Moscow to make Kharkiv uninhabitable.
Syrskii said there were signs that Russia was preparing directly for an offensive in the north of the country.
“In the most threatening directions, our troops have been reinforced by artillery and tank units,” he said.