Kyiv (agencies)
Yesterday, Ukraine announced that the intensity of the fighting in the Donbass region in the east had reached its “maximum”, while Russian forces were still advancing into the industrial zone.
“The intensity of the fighting has reached its limit,” Deputy Defense Minister Gana Maliar said at a press conference.
“The Russian forces are storming our forces’ positions in several directions at the same time, and a long and very difficult phase of the fighting awaits us,” she added.
The Russian army has planned a slow but steady path of incursion into the Donbass region since the withdrawal of its forces from the regions of central and western Ukraine, in order to bolster military efforts in the east.
The Russian army is besieging many cities, especially Severodonetsk and Lysichansk, which constitute an obstacle to reaching the eastern administrative center of Ukraine in Kramatorsk.
“The situation remains difficult and threatens to deteriorate further,” Maliar said.
The Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia bombed more than 40 towns in Donbass, and destroyed some tall buildings, with Russian forces seeking to besiege Ukrainian forces and outnumbering them in some areas.