Kyiv is responding to problems on the front in eastern Ukraine

The situation at a glance

Kyiv is responding to problems on the front in eastern Ukraine

Ukraine is under heavy pressure at the front. After several failures, a high-ranking general has now had to resign, according to the media. There are also impacts again in the hinterland.

The commander of the Ukrainian Army Group Donetsk, Olexander Lutsenko, has been replaced after several serious defeats in Kiev, according to consistent media reports. He will be replaced by Olexander Tarnawskyj, the internet portal “Ukrainskaya Pravda” reported, citing a source in the armed forces. The new appointment has not yet been officially announced. The crisis facing Ukrainian troops in the east of the country has worsened in recent weeks.

Lutsenko was responsible for the sector of the front around the strategically important cities of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. Kurakhove has already been partially captured by Russian troops and is on the verge of collapse. The Ukrainian army has already held the city longer than many experts previously predicted. However, some units are now threatened with encirclement.

The military leadership also received sharp criticism for the inadequate defense at Pokrovsk. There it allowed Russian troops south of the city to break through what were actually well-developed and conveniently located defense lines. This now threatens not only the encirclement of Pokrovsk, but also a further advance of Russian troops towards the Dnipropetrovsk area.

Tarnavsky is one of the most famous generals in Ukraine. He led Ukraine’s successful counterattacks in the south of the country in 2022, which led to the recapture of Kherson. However, in the summer of 2023 he failed in his attempt to force a breakthrough in neighboring Zaporizhia and later in the defense of the Avdiivka fortress in the Donetsk region.

In its situation report late in the evening, the General Staff in Kiev recorded continued heavy fighting, especially in the Donetsk region. In total, there were 190 clashes along the front during the day, it is said. The focus was therefore on the section in front of Pokrovsk, where the Russian troops made 56 advances.

The section between the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions in southern Ukraine, where there were 34 Russian attack attempts, is also heavily contested. At Kurakhove, however, the pace of attacks has slowed somewhat; according to Ukrainian counts, Russian troops have attacked there 26 times. The information cannot be independently verified.

The hinterland of Ukraine was once again targeted by the Russian armed forces during the night. Drone attacks have been reported in a number of regions, including the Black Sea region of Odessa.

On the other side, according to media reports, the Ukrainians attacked a fuel depot in the Oryol region of western Russia. Videos circulating on social networks show explosions and fire. The region’s governor, Andrei Klychkov, later wrote on Telegram that there was a fuel fire as a result of a drone attack. Parts of drones shot down damaged the glazing of several private houses.

The Russian state news agency Tass, citing the country’s Defense Ministry, reported that 37 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight over the Kuban, Kursk, Bryansk and Oryol regions as well as the Sea of ​​Azov.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, in turn, has called for action from the West after Russia’s heavy combined missile and drone attack against his country the previous night. Steps are needed that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin showed: “His terror will not work,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video message. Putin is relying on war to stay in power. Ukraine’s Western partners should therefore worry less about stability in Moscow and more about their and global security. He thanked the USA for another aid package worth $500 million.

Russia carried out one of the most massive air attacks on Ukraine on Friday night. According to Zelensky, the Russian military used around 200 drones and 94 missiles. “They waited specifically for freezing weather to make the situation worse for the people,” said Zelensky, accusing the Russian leadership of “cynical terror” against the civilian population.

The Ukrainian president also confirmed a planned trip to Brussels next week. There, the heads of state and government of the European NATO states want to talk to Zelensky about further support for Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia, and possible security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire.