Europe1 .fr with AFP/Photo credits: VIRGINIE NGUYEN HOANG / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 9:54 a.m., February 20, 2024
In his daily message this Monday, the Ukrainian president notably criticized the delay in Western aid in the delivery of weapons from which Vladimir Putin's army benefits. Russian forces captured the town of Avdiivka.
The Ukrainian army is currently in an "extremely difficult" situation facing Russian forces who are on the offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine after seizing the town of Avdiivka this weekend, recognized Monday Kiev. “The situation is extremely difficult at several points on the front line, where Russian troops have concentrated as many reserves as possible. They are taking advantage of the delay in aid” from the West to Ukraine, declared President Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily message.
He added that his country lacked artillery and needed anti-aircraft defense as much as longer-range weapons, also believing that the blockade of the border with Poland by Polish truckers and farmers demonstrated "the erosion of solidarity” towards his country.
On the battlefield, Russian soldiers, who have just obtained their first major territorial gain since the capture of Bakhmut in May 2023 by conquering Avdiïvka, in the eastern region of Donetsk, went on the attack in the east and the south, explained the Ukrainian army.
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In the southern part of the front, "the enemy made 10 unsuccessful attempts against the positions of the (Ukrainian) defense forces in the area (of the village) of Robotyne. Here the situation is changeable, the enemy is inflicting heavy fire ", said Dmytro Lykhovy, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military in this area.
Multiple Russian attacks
According to him, the Ukrainians repelled assaults launched "with a significant number of armored vehicles" but the Russians are now attacking with "small groups" supported by armored vehicles and an air force which is "actively operating".
“These offensive attempts have been stopped, the enemy has been eliminated on the outskirts of Robotyne,” assured General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the commander of Ukrainian troops in the region. The Telegram channel DeepState, close to the Ukrainian army, reported on Sunday evening that the Russians had managed to break through the Ukrainian defenses a few kilometers east of Robotyne.
This village, now like many other localities completely razed by artillery fire, was recaptured from the Russians in August, which was described as an important success by Ukraine in the counter-offensive it had launched in summer. Russian attacks on this part of the southern front began this weekend as the Russian army captured Avdiïvka, some 150 km northeast of Robotyne, after four months of repeated assaults.
The anxiety of the local population
In the Donetsk region, the Russian army has "improved" its positions, in particular it has "completely liberated the Avdiivka coking plant", the last sector held by the Ukrainians before their withdrawal, Moscow officially announced on Monday. In the Avdiivka area, "the Russians are regrouping, they have achieved their tactical objectives" and "they will probably transfer units (from Avdiivka) to other sectors", underlined Ukrainian spokesperson Dmytro Lykhovy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of an "important victory" after the capture of Avdiivka, a few days before the second anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion, on February 24. In Selydové, 30 kilometers east of Avdiïvka, this Ukrainian defeat revives distressing questions among the population: should they flee now or hope that the Ukrainian forces, in difficulty, can save them?
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“I hear a lot of people in the city wondering if they are going to evacuate or not,” confides Olena, 42, as the acrid smell of charred concrete floats in the air, mingling with the muffled sounds of the artillery in the distance. “People are afraid. My daughter asks me every day to evacuate but I tell her that the time has not yet come.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, visited a brigade which defends the Kupiansk region, on the northeast front, where the Russians have also been on the offensive for several months. On the diplomatic level, French President Emmanuel Macron "fully intends to go to Ukraine by mid-March", his entourage insisted on Monday, while Russian social networks relayed the rumor of a project attack during this trip.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Monday that it was trying to “shed light on the fate of 23,000 people who disappeared” during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.