As Ukraine strikes Kursk and Belgorod regions, Russian troops continue to advance.
The Russian army claimed on Thursday, August 29, the capture of two new localities in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, in eastern Ukraine, where it continues to advance against outnumbered Ukrainian troops lacking firepower.
In its daily report, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the capture of Mykolaivka, in the Donetsk region, and Stelmakhivka, in the Lugansk region, which is almost entirely under Moscow’s control.
The ministry does not specify exactly where Mykolaivka is located, but according to Ukrainian military expert channels, a town by that name recently came under the control of Russian soldiers.
The latter is located about fifteen kilometers from Pokrovsk, a major logistics hub, which has been targeted for several weeks by Russian troops who are approaching it, prompting local authorities to order the evacuation of families with children from the city and its surroundings on August 19
An “extremely difficult” situation
The situation is “extremely difficult” for the Ukrainian army near Pokrovsk, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged on Wednesday. “Russia’s main efforts and greatest forces are concentrated there,” he declared.
Despite the surprise offensive launched by kyiv on August 6 in the Russian region of Kursk, Russia continues to regularly gain ground in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, which remains the epicentre of the fighting and which it intends to conquer in its entirety.
On Wednesday, Mr Zelensky nevertheless assured that the offensive in Russia was relieving pressure in the east of his country. “We must understand that all the tension we have transferred to Russia means that it cannot direct more pressure on our Donetsk region,” he said.
This article is originally published on .lindependant.fr
