Kyiv (Union)
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, said that the Ukrainian forces are establishing defenses along the front line in Donetsk, including the town of Bakhmut, with the fiercest battles raging to control the cities of Volydar and Marinka.
Zaluzhny added that Russia carries out about 50 attacks per day in Donetsk, a region in southeastern Ukraine.
“Heavy fighting continues in the area of Fulidar and Marinka,” Zalogny said.
“We are erecting strong defences. In some areas of the front, we were able to regain positions that we lost previously, and we gained a foothold,” he added.
Zaluzhny did not specify the places that the Ukrainian forces managed to recover.
He added that Ukraine still controls Bakhmut, and is trying to maintain the situation on the front lines around the city.
Britain said two days ago that Russian forces were making gains in northern Bakhmut, but were having more difficulty attacking Fulidar, about 150 kilometers to the south.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Jedadnov said that despite Russian pressure in Marinka, Ukrainian forces managed to establish control on the ground.
Marinka is a small, ruined, half-empty town that has been a frontline since the war began a year ago.
“Fighting continues in the city center, but there have been no changes over the past 24 hours,” Zhdanov said in a video clip on social media.
