“The enemy has changed their tactics,” Cherevatyj said on television on Saturday. Instead of attacks by larger units, attacks by smaller groups would be carried out today, primarily by the Wagner mercenary force, supported by barrel and rocket artillery. “We analyze this tactic and find an antidote for every military poison,” emphasized the spokesman for Army Group East.
In his view, the Donbas is the main front in the struggle for Ukraine’s independence. The focus of the fighting was therefore on the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. The Russian military had previously reported on its offensive in the region.
Moscow speaks of successes in the east
“In the Donetsk area, the Russian units continued their attacks and drove the enemy out of their fortified positions,” said army spokesman Igor Konashenkov in Moscow on Saturday. Positions were also seized in the north between the small towns of Kreminna and Lyman. The information could not be verified independently.
Reports have been circulating for weeks that the Ukrainian army is on the defensive in the Donetsk region, trying to hold its defense lines in front of the industrial city of Donetsk and east of the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk conurbation. Donetsk is the largest city in the region of the same name, which was declared an independent “People’s Republic” by Moscow-backed separatists. In the meantime, Moscow has annexed the area in violation of international law.
In the north, after the Russian troops were driven out of the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainians still have the initiative. Here both sides report mutual attacks on the opposing positions. Observers also reported that Russian troops have built fortifications in the area 60 kilometers long up to the Russian state border.
Anti-aircraft defenses in Russian-occupied areas
Meanwhile, according to military information, anti-aircraft defenses in the areas occupied by Russian troops became active on Saturday evening. There were reports of the use of air defense from both Simferopol in Crimea and Melitopol in south-eastern Ukraine, according to the Russian state agency TASS. The population was asked to remain calm.
According to the first reports, a restaurant in Melitopol was hit, and there were also fatalities, according to the Russian side. Ukraine had recently used reconnaissance and combat drones over the Russian-occupied areas. Kiev has not yet officially commented on the possible use of Ukrainian combat drones against military airports in Russia, in which combat aircraft were damaged.
Power outages in Odessa
In the southern Ukrainian port of Odessa, Russian drone attacks caused major power outages. Aside from facilities like hospitals and maternity wards, the entire city is without power after the nighttime attacks, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko told Telegram.
EU countries decide on billion-euro package for Ukraine
The EU countries have agreed on a new billion-euro aid package for Ukraine. From next year, the EU wants to assume liability for loans in the amount of 18 billion euros.
As a result, the power will be out for a long time. “The repair work is taking more time than usual,” says Tymoshenko. The situation is “difficult but under control”. According to regional governor Maksym Marchenko, almost all districts and municipalities in the Odessa region are also without power as a result of the drone strikes. Two of the drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, he said.
Meanwhile, the EU states agreed on a billion dollar package for Ukraine. However, the decision was made today despite the dissenting vote from Hungary, as the dpa learned from EU circles. According to the decision, 18 billion euros will be paid out to Kiev in the course of the coming year.