The “situation is difficult” near the city of Kupiansk as heavy fighting rages in eastern Ukraine, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Monday.
Russian forces have been making a push near Kupiansk in recent weeks, with significant shelling of the northeastern city and surrounding areas prompting the first major Ukrainian evacuation in months.
Speaking on national television, Maliar said Ukrainian forces “repelled attacks south of Pershotravneve and Synkivka villages and east of Petropavlivka village,” in the Kharkiv region where Kupiansk is located, claiming “last week’s battles all ended in defeat for the enemy.”
Fighting is also “quite intense” near the strategic city of Lyman in the Donetsk region, Maliar said. The main fighting is around the nearby Serebryansky Forest, she said.
According to Maliar, the number of attacks in Lyman and Kupiansk have decreased, but “the enemy is currently regrouping, additionally pulling up forces there.”
In Bakhmut, Maliar said Ukrainian troops have taken “key dominant heights” in the northern flank and that “fighting is heavy,” with Russian forces trying to knock Ukraine’s troops out position in the eastern city. Ukraine has liberated 3 square kilometers near the southern flank area of Bakhmut, bringing the total area recaptured to 43 square kilometers, she said.
Elsewhere in Donetsk, Russian forces attempting to encircle the town of Avdiivka “are not succeeding,” Maliar said.
Meanwhile, Russian forces are trying to regain ground in the village of Urozhaine, which Ukrainian forces reclaimed last week, she said.
“There have been battles over the past week to keep the current positions,” Maliar said.
In the south, Ukrainian forces continue their offensive toward Melitopol and Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to Maliar.
“The enemy’s defense is strong there. They are deploying professional units, paratroopers and military equipment,” she said, stressing “there can be no quick actions” in this area.
