Ukraine war: Fighting intensifies in Donetsk region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has become severe after a recent fight broke out in Bakhmut and Solar, both located in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

The fighting was particularly intense over the weekend in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which is the larger industrial Donbas, and the strategically important Kherson province in the south.

The town of Bakhmut has been one of Russia’s armed force’s targets and their slow move through the region since taking the key industrial towns of Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk in June and July.

“The key hot spots in Donbas are Soledar and Bakhmut,” Zelenskiy revealed in a video address, “Very heavy fighting is going on there”, he added.

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According to Ukraine’s Armed Forces General staff, Russian forces exhausted Ukrainian positions on several fronts on Sunday, with the targets including towns in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions.

Russia’s defense ministry also said its forces rejected efforts by Ukrainian troops to advance in the Donetsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions, inflicting what is depicted as significant losses.

Meanwhile, Russia said it is continuing air strikes on military and energy targets in Ukraine, using long-range precision-guided weapons.

There is no verified reaction yet from Ukraine regarding the attack on Donetsk city which was formally annexed by Russia in 2014 along with swathes of the Donbas.

Samuel Omowumi Racheal