"They were pushing non-stop": occupiers captured two villages near Avdiivka, - AP
Date: 2024-07-30 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
Russian troops have captured two frontline villages in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine.
As reported by the Associated Press, this was stated on Monday by Sergeant Major of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleh Chaus. This happened after continuous assaults, which are part of the Kremlin's attempt to overcome Ukrainian defenses.
"They were pushing non-stop to capture Vovchye and Progress. They sent a large number of troops that had not been used before," Chaus said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in recent days that it had taken control of the villages, but the Ukrainian General Staff has not officially commented on this. The villages are located about 30 kilometers northwest of Avdiivka.
Russia's onslaught, fueled by a huge advantage in men and weapons, has repeatedly forced the Ukrainians to retreat from defensive positions to avoid being surrounded or killed.
Alexander Shirshin, deputy battalion commander of the 47th Brigade, confirmed that villages had been captured. He blamed the failures on poor training, low officer proficiency, motivation and insufficient weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the situation in Donetsk "extremely difficult" late Sunday.
Russia's strategy of attrition, in which powerful glide bombs destroy Ukrainian defenses before infantry can engage, has brought additional advantages to the Kremlin.
Ukraine is significantly outgunned by Russia's army along a front line that stretches some 1,000 kilometers. Russian troops are also stepping up their week-long operation to break through Ukrainian defenses around Pokrovsk. Russia has carried out 52 attacks there in the last 24 hours, almost double the daily total in recent weeks.
Ukraine, meanwhile, said its forces had struck the Kursk region. Russia's air defenses were activated, explosions occurred near at least four substations. After the attack, power outages occurred in the Ponyrovsky, Solntsevsky and Kursky districts of the Kursk region.
The attacks were carried out by the SBU Special Operations Center, as well as other units of the Defense Forces.
"These facilities, among other things, ensure the functioning of the Russian railway, which transports weapons and military equipment to support its occupation army," the General Staff said in a statement.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the drones were "intercepted and destroyed" in regions bordering Ukraine, as well as in the Leningrad region, about 700 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border. It is noted that the drone debris allegedly damaged a power station, a bridge and a power line.
"Ukraine has used high technology in its campaign of increasingly ambitious drone strikes deep inside Russia, targeting critical infrastructure, trying to make the war more expensive for Moscow and hamper its war machine," the publication notes.
