Heavy fighting in Donbass
Ukraine reports Russian land gains in east
05/12/2022, 08:55 am
In eastern Ukraine, the Russian military is apparently stepping up its attacks on several cities. The enemy has been “partially” successful, the Ukrainian General Staff said in its current situation report. Russia is also expanding its forces in the Donbass with hundreds of new military vehicles.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian armed forces have intensified their attacks in the east of the country and gained ground in some areas in the Donbass region. “The enemy is continuing its offensive efforts in the East Operational Zone with the aim of establishing full control over the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions and maintaining the land corridor to the temporarily occupied Crimea,” the Ukrainian general staff said in its situation report.
The Russian attacks in the Donbass are aimed at the cities of Sievjerodonetsk, Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Kurakhove, as well as Rubishne, which is already largely occupied by Russian forces. “In the Sieverodonetsk direction, the enemy is launching attacks on Kudryazhivka and Sieverodonetsk, and they are partially successful,” the Ukrainian military leadership admitted. Meanwhile, Russian forces attempted to build floating bridges across the Seversky Donets River to advance towards the small town of Liman. The General Staff had already reported on the destruction of such pontoon bridges on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, Moscow is strengthening its forces on the sector of the front near Sloviansk, one of the most important targets of the Russian offensive efforts in the Donbass. According to this, around 300 new military vehicles are said to have been relocated to the area in preparation for new attacks.
According to the management report, however, there have been few changes in Mariupol. There, the defenders entrenched in the steelworks would continue to be bombed by the Luftwaffe. Artillery battles are reported from the south of Ukraine, both from the Zaporizhia region and in the direction of Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih.
Most recently, Russian and Ukrainian troops fought once more in the region between Cherson and Mykolaiv. The defenders are giving the Russian attackers “no opportunity to advance,” as the Ukrainian military leadership announced during the night. In the course of the fighting, at least 23 Russian soldiers were killed and two tanks were destroyed, as was an ammunition depot, the Unian agency quoted from the statement. The information cannot be independently verified.