In front of the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainians and Russians are engaged in heavy fighting. Troops loyal to Moscow are trying to drive the Ukrainian military out of their positions in the suburbs, according to military reports from both countries. The city of Donetsk itself has been controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, but the Ukrainian army continues to hold large parts of the area of the same name.
During the night tonight there was said to have been fighting for the village of Pisky, which is west of the former Donetsk airport. The Separatists have already reported the capture of positions that have been contested for years. However, these reports cannot be verified independently.
Other towns under attack
According to Ukrainian sources, the towns of Marjinka and Krasnohorivka, southwest of Donetsk, have recently come under intense fire. In addition, the center of the city of Avdiivka was shelled. The efforts apparently serve to relieve Donetsk. The industrial city had recently been shelled several times by Ukrainian artillery.
Russian troops are also continuing to try to blow up the defensive ring around the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk conurbation in the Donetsk region. According to the General Staff, the fighting is continuing south-east of the Bakhmut transport hub.
