KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine said on Friday that the eastern town of Audiyivka could soon become a “second Bakhmut”.
Audiiyka is located just north of Russian-occupied Donetsk.
Ukrainian army commander Shirsky said on Monday that Russian forces were trying to break through Ukrainian defenses from multiple directions to completely encircle the battleground of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian military said on Monday it agreed with the British Defense Intelligence Agency’s assessment that the Russian military was attacking supply lines to Audiiyka.
“The enemy is constantly trying to encircle Audiiyka. I agree with the British view that Audiiyka could soon become the second Bakhmut,” he said, adding that all the Russian operations were going well. He pointed out that it is not.
Audiiyka has become a front line between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian militants that have taken control of the region since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
