The Russian forces are apparently continuing their major offensive in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian army reported shelling of more than 40 cities on Thursday evening. In a speech on Wednesday evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the clear superiority of Russian units. But his own units would resist the “extremely violent offensive,” he said.
Dozens of towns in the Donetsk People’s Republic (a proclaimed de facto regime recognized only by Russia and Syria; ed.) and Luhansk Oblast have been attacked, according to Ukrainian sources. The focus of the Russian armed forces is apparently the strategically important industrial city of Severodonetsk on the eastern bank of the Severskyi Donets River and its twin city of Lysychansk on the western bank.
The situation is “very difficult” and there is “fighting already in the suburbs,” Governor Serhiy Gajdaj reported in online networks on Wednesday. “Russian troops are already close enough to fire mortar shells.” According to the governor, “the next week could be decisive”.
City of Severodonetsk “surrounded” from three sides
Circles of pro-Russian fighters supporting Moscow’s soldiers said Severodonetsk was now “surrounded” from three sides. The only bridge leaving the city is now under Russian control, Interfax news agency reported. This information could not be verified initially.
Kiev speaks of ‘very difficult moment at the front’
The government in Kiev currently sees its troops in a “very difficult moment at the front”. The fighting is fierce, especially in the Donbass in the east of the country, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “The battle for Donbass is very similar to the battles of World War II. Some towns and cities just don’t exist anymore,” Kuleba said in Switzerland. “They were reduced to rubble by Russian artillery fire and Russian missile launch systems.”
According to Kulebas, the Ukrainian army urgently needs missile launch systems to deal with the Russian attackers. Russia is superior to Ukraine when it comes to heavy weapons, the foreign minister said in Davos. However, Kiev’s troops would have the biggest disadvantage with multiple rocket launcher systems.
Heavy air raids on engine works and train stations
According to their own statements, Russian forces also attacked a Ukrainian engine factory and several train stations during the heavy air strikes. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense in Moscow also said the train station in the urban settlement of Pokrovske in the Dnepropetrovsk region was hit by rockets. The target of the attack here was a troop transport of Ukrainian reservists en route to the Donbass region.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
