Ukraine army chief warns of front line pressure, as forces wait for US aid
- Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russian troops are still attacking along the 1,000km front line and Ukrainian forces are tactically retreating in some places
- Russian troops ‘will likely make significant tactical gains in the coming weeks’ while Kyiv awaits badly needed weaponry from the US, a Washington-based think tank said
Ukraine’s army chief has warned of a worsening situation as his forces wait for much-needed arms from a huge US aid package to reach the front lines.
In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russian troops continue to attack “along the entire front line” of more than 1,000km (620 miles), with pitched battles raging west of the city of Avdiivka.
He said that the battlefield situation was worsening for Kyiv, with Ukrainian forces tactically retreating along three sections of the front line in the eastern Donetsk region.
Russian troops “will likely make significant tactical gains in the coming weeks” while Kyiv awaits badly needed weaponry from the US, a Washington-based think tank said.
In its latest operational assessment, the Institute for the Study of War said that Moscow’s forces have opportunities to push forward around Avdiivka, the eastern city they took in late February after a gruelling, months-long fight, and threaten nearby Chasiv Yar.
09:43
Ukraine war two years on: disease, displacement and demands for aid
Its capture would give Russia control of a hilltop from which it can attack other key cities forming the backbone of Ukraine’s eastern defences.