05/05/2024 – 9:26
Moscow says it has “completely liberated” a village in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, northwest of Avdiivka, which fell in February. The Russian Army claimed this Sunday (05/05) to have taken another city in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s troops are on the offensive and have made several advances in recent months.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its soldiers had “completely liberated” the village of Ocheretyne, in the Donetsk region and about 15 kilometers northwest of the town of Avdiivka, which fell to the Russians in February. Ocheretyne had about 3,000 inhabitants before the war.
Last month, the Russian military announced the seizure of the village of Bogdanivka, located less than three kilometers from the strategic stronghold of Chasiv Yar, an important crossroads in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Moscow on the offensive
Russia has been on the offensive since the failure of Ukraine’s major counteroffensive in mid-2023, benefiting from the attrition of Kiev’s Army, which is having difficulty recruiting new soldiers to repel the invasion that began in February 2022.
The resumption of US military aid, following the approval in late April of a $61 billion package for Kiev, should allow Ukraine to consolidate its forces and try to stabilize the front line, especially in the east.
Kiev’s difficulties are compounded by a lack of anti-aircraft defenses, which has allowed the Russians to bomb essential infrastructure, particularly the power grid and railway lines.
The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Army, Oleksander Sirski, recently admitted that the situation on the front line had “deteriorated”. Last week he reported that Kiev was withdrawing from three villages in the Donetsk region and building a new line of fortifications.
In recent months, Kiev has struggled amid delays in Western arms shipments and hopes the arrival of new shipments from the US will help stabilize the front lines.
MD (AFP, Reuters)
#Russia #Ukrainian #location