The head of the Ukrainian army said on Saturday that the situation on the eastern front had worsened in recent days, as Russia intensified its armored assaults and battles are fought for control of a town west of the devastated city of Bakhmut.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi's statement, more than two years after the beginning of the Russian invasion, reflected the gloomy mood in kyiv, while vital US military aid remains stalled in Congress in Washington.
Syrskyi said he traveled to the area to stabilize the front while Russian assault groups using tanks and armored personnel carriers took advantage of the dry and warm weather that has facilitated maneuvers.
“The situation on the Eastern Front in recent days has become considerably more tense. “This is mainly related to the important activation of the enemy's offensive action after the presidential elections in Russia,” he wrote on the Telegram application.
Since President Vladimir Putin won a new mandate in an election in mid-March, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine and unleashed three massive airstrikes against its energy systemhitting power plants and substations.
Slowdown of Western military aid left Ukraine more exposed to air attacks and heavily outnumbered on the battlefield. In the last weeks, kyiv made increasingly desperate appeals for air defense missiles.
