Fighting intensifies in eastern Ukraine; new commander in chief shows determination to reform military. Russian military continues to attack the area around Audiiivka in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, in an attempt to expand and encircle the occupied territory.
On the 7th, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that it had shot down a Russian attack helicopter. Mayor Barabash told local media on the 9th, ``The situation is very difficult. "We are repelling the incoming enemy, but the enemy's strength is many times larger," he said.