KYIV—On Sunday, the head of Ukraine's military said that the outnumbered troops from Kyiv had retreated to new positions west of three villages on the eastern front, where Russia has amassed a sizable force in many areas.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi's comments mirrored Ukraine's declining eastern posture, which Kyiv wants to stabilize until it receives American weaponry as part of a $61 billion assistance package that was approved this week.
On the Telegram app, General Syrskyi stated, "The situation at the front has worsened." He listed the "most difficult" locations as being northwest of Avdiivka, the town that Russian forces took in February, and west of Maryinka.
According to Gen. Syrskyi, Kyiv's soldiers have moved to new locations west of Novomykhailivka, which is more south and close to the town of Maryinka, and west of the settlements of Berdychi and Semenivka, which are both north of Avdiivka.
“In general, the enemy achieved certain tactical successes in these areas, but could not gain operational advantages,” he claimed, adding that Russia had committed four brigades to the assault.
He claimed that units that had lost soldiers were being replaced in certain locations by recently rested Ukrainian brigades.
The situation of Novobakhmutivka, a different settlement close to Berdychi, which Russia's military ministry reported its forces had taken on Sunday, was not included in his statement.
Once Moscow's forces took control of the bastion town of Avdiivka, they began to advance.
Since the capture of Avdiivka, they appear to have advanced more than 15 kilometers (9.5 miles) toward the town of Ocheretyne, according to online combat maps created by open-source intelligence experts.
Further up the front, the village of Chasiv Yar, held by Kyiv, is a crucial developing battlefield due to its high location, which may act as a gateway to the cities of Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk.
According to Gen. Syrskyi, the "hottest spots" on that section of the front are Chasiv Yar and the settlement of Ivanivske, which is northeast of it. The defense ministry of Russia declared that it had stopped Ukrainian counterattacks close to Chasiv Yar.
Gen. Syrskyi said his forces were closely monitoring a rise in Russian soldiers in the vicinity of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which might prove to be a concerning development for the country.
The 1.3 million-person metropolis in the northeast, which is only 30 kilometers from the Russian border, has seen a lot of airstrikes recently.
According to Gen. Syrskyi, there were indications that Russia was getting ready for an onslaught in the country's north.
“In the most threatening directions, our troops have been reinforced by artillery and tank units,” he said.
Officials in Ukraine say that receiving military help from the United States is essential to preventing Russia's invasion, which began two years ago. Teams from the US and Ukraine, according to Mr. Zelenskyy, were drafting a "specific text" for a ten-year security pact that would involve armaments and other forms of assistance.
