Colonel-General Oleksandr Sersky, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Valentin Ogirenko | Reuters
The Ukrainian army commander warned Saturday that the situation on the battlefield in the east of the country, which remains the center of Ukraine's heaviest fighting, has deteriorated sharply.
“The situation on the Eastern Front has deteriorated significantly in recent days,” Oleksandr Sirsky, the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said on Telegram.
He added in statements translated by NBC News, “This is primarily due to the significant intensification of the enemy's offensive actions following the presidential elections in the Russian Federation.”
Warm, dry weather facilitated attacks by Russian forces on Ukrainian positions in the Liman and Bakhmut districts of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, with “Russian assault groups supported by armored vehicles,” including dozens of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, Syrsky said.
“Despite heavy losses, the enemy increases its efforts by deploying new units with armored vehicles, sometimes achieving tactical success,” Sirseki said.
Russia's military goals, at least in the near term, are to seize the rest of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine, regions it currently only partially occupies despite Russia's claim to be part of the Russian Federation, having illegally annexed them in September. . .2022.
However, Russian forces have made some notable advances in Luhansk and Donetsk in recent months, buoyed by their advantage in manpower and artillery shell supplies.
Ukrainian soldiers monitor the situation along the front via drones in the direction of Krymina, Ukraine as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues on March 31, 2024.
Anatolia | Anatolia | Getty Images
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been warning of severe artillery shortages in parts of the Eastern Front for weeks, and has repeatedly called on its international allies to provide it with more artillery and ammunition. Republicans in the United States are still blocking about $60 billion in new military aid to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned last week that his country might lose the war if Congress did not approve more aid. Defense experts have also warned that the war could quickly deteriorate from a stalemate to Russia gaining the upper hand over Ukraine this year.
Colonel General Sirsky, who replaced General Valery Zalozhny as commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in February, said in his latest military update that he was “taking all necessary measures to stabilize the situation, increase the effectiveness of our forces’ actions, and inflict damage.” Maximum losses on enemy units” in eastern Ukraine.
He added that problematic defense areas have been supported with electronic warfare and air defences, while drone stocks have been replenished. He added, “Anti-tank missiles were transferred, and additional reserves of forces and means were also transferred.”
Syrsky said Ukrainian forces needed to gain a technological advantage over Russia, saying the need for high-tech weapons had emerged again, and that “only this will give us the opportunity to defeat a larger enemy and create conditions to seize the strategic initiative.” “
He also called for improving the quality of troop training, especially the training of infantry units, so that they can “make maximum use of all the capabilities of Western combat equipment and weapons.”
