War against Ukraine: Fierce battle for every city

Despite fierce resistance, Russia is steadily gaining ground in the east of the country. Lysychansk is the last major bastion of Ukraine in the Luhansk region. But the Russian troops have already advanced to the outskirts of the city.

According to information from Kyiv, heavy fighting for the strategically important city of Lyssychansk is continuing in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian general staff said in its situation report that the enemy was trying to blockade the city with the support of artillery. There are attacks around the city’s oil refinery: “The fighting continues,” according to the general staff.

The representative of the Luhansk separatists in Moscow, Rodion Miroshnik, wrote on Telegram that the area around the plant is under its own control. The military in Kyiv accused Russia of also shelling civilian infrastructure.

Russian troops are already on the outskirts

According to the separatists, troops loyal to the government are withdrawing in a north-westerly direction. In the Luhansk region, Ukrainian troops now only control Lysychansk. However, Russian soldiers have already advanced to the outskirts of the city. The General Staff said the fighting was going on in the settlements west of the city. In addition, Russian troops continued to try to control an important road between Lysychansk and the city of Bakhmut further west.

According to the Ukrainian military, there were attacks northeast of Bakhmut. Further south, Ukrainian troops managed to stop the Russian offensive. “Significant losses” were inflicted on the occupiers. No further details were given. There were also fights in the Donetsk region in the east. Around the city of Kharkiv in the north-east, the “enemy is defending previously occupied positions”.

Zelenskyj: “The situation in the east is very difficult”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also described the situation in the east of the country as very difficult. “We are doing everything we can to equip our military with modern artillery systems and to respond appropriately to the occupiers,” said Zelenskyy in his daily video address. The Russian military is relying on massive artillery fire in the Donbass industrial area to weaken Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian artillery is outnumbered despite some modern guns arriving from the west.

The previous pressure on Russia is not enough, said Zelenskyj, pointing out that ten Russian rockets were fired at the Ukrainian city of Mikolajiv on Wednesday alone. “And all were aimed at civilian targets,” said the Ukrainian president.

Putin: “Everything is going according to plan”

More than four months after the start of the war of aggression, Russia’s President Putin again emphasized that the fighting was going according to plan: “The work is going quietly, rhythmically, the troops are moving and are reaching the lines that were given to them as milestones,” he told journalists in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat. “Everything is going according to plan,” emphasized the Kremlin boss.