Russian forces make some progress in the city
The battle for control of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine intensifies
A Ukrainian soldier in an observation trench at an outpost on the Ruska Lozova front, the village retaken by Ukrainian forces from Russian forces in Kharkiv.
Reuters
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces bombed sites in eastern Ukraine yesterday, as it sought to encircle Ukrainian forces in a battle aimed at controlling the eastern Donbass region and repelling a counter-attack around the strategic city of Izyum currently under Russian control.
Since mid-April, Russian forces have concentrated much of their firepower on Donbass after failing to capture the capital.
A British military intelligence assessment released on Sunday said Russia had lost about a third of the ground combat force it deployed in February.
The assessment said the Russian offensive in Donbass was far behind schedule and was unlikely to make rapid progress in the next 30 days.
"Russia's war in Ukraine is not going as planned by Moscow," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Russia said yesterday that it had hit Ukrainian sites in the east with missiles, targeting command centers and weapons arsenals, as its forces sought to encircle Ukrainian units between Izyum and Donetsk.
Izium is located on the Donets River, 120 km from Kharkiv, on the main road to the southeast of the country.
Continued pressure on Izium and Russian supply lines would make it difficult for Moscow to encircle Ukrainian forces hardened by battles on the eastern front in the Donbass.
"The hottest point remains the direction of Izyum," regional governor Oleh Sengopov said in comments on social media.
"Our armed forces switched to a counterattack there.
The enemy is retreating on some fronts, and this is a result of the nature of our armed forces.”
The Ukrainian military said Russian units were now operating in some areas at less than 20% of their capacity.
In Ruska Lozova, a village between Kharkiv and Ukraine's border with Russia, Ukrainian leaders said they believed Moscow was redeploying its forces to defend Izyum while keeping its enemies in position with artillery fire.
"The Russian attack on Kharkiv has been eliminated and they know this... they need to try to achieve a new victory and they want to hold on to Izyum," said Ihor Obolensky, commander of the National Guard and Volunteer Forces, which retook Roska Lozova eight days ago.
But the Ukrainian army also acknowledged setbacks, stating, "Despite the losses, Russian forces are still advancing in the Lyman, Severodonetsk, Avdivika and Kurakhiv regions in the wider Donbass region."
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