Putin army 'accelerating' advance to break Ukraine defensive line despite heavy losses, say UK defence chiefs

ukraine

Vladimir Putin’s army is “accelerating” its advance seeking to break Ukraine’s defensive line despite suffering heavy losses, say British defence chiefs.

They stressed that Russian units had seized “several small settlements” in the Donetsk province in the east of the country.

In its latest update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “The advance of Russian forces west of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast (province), has accelerated within the past week.

“Russian Ground Forces (RGF) have created a narrow salient further into Ukrainian territory to enter the town of Ocheretyne, located approximately 15km (nine miles) north of central Avdiivka.”

The briefing added: “Since RGF took control of Avdiivka in mid-February 2024, the area has remained one of the primary areas of Russian operations.

“Despite sustaining continued high losses, it is highly likely that RGF are able to continuously target Ukrainian positions in the area and have taken control of several small settlements.”

In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said that while Russian forces were gaining ground they were unlikely to make a breakthrough of Ukraine’s defensive line.

“Russian forces are stabilizing their small salient northwest of Avdiivka and may make further tactical gains that could cause Ukrainian forces to withdraw from other tactical positions along the frontline west of Avdiivka to a more defensible line,” said the military think tank.

It added: “Recent Russian gains northwest of Avdiivka have been relatively quick but still relatively marginal, with Russian forces advancing at most roughly five kilometers (three miles) in depth since April 18.”

The ISW stressed that Ukrainian army chiefs could withdraw forces further west if they decided that “Russian tactical gains in the area to be too threatening to current Ukrainian positions”.

It added: “Russian forces will likely continue to make tactical gains northwest of Avdiivka, but these gains are unlikely to develop into an operationally significant penetration, let alone cause the collapse of the Ukrainian defence west of Avdiivka.”

After Congress agreed a £48 billion new military aid package for Ukraine, the ISW said that the arrival of new ammunition and equipment “will likely help blunt ongoing Russian offensives”.

But a more significant factor in Ukrainian counter-offensive operations was more likely to be deploying new troops to the frontline.

America has already secretly supplied some longer-range missiles to Kyiv.

Ukrainian and Russian forces are engaged in fierce fighting for the hilltop town of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk province.

Seizing Chasiv Yar would allow the Russian army to move toward Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, key cities Ukraine controls in the Donetsk province.

Putin is believed to want to capture the town in time for the May 9 Victory Parade in Moscow which celebrates the Soviet Victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

In northeastern Ukraine, Russian guided bombs struck an industrial facility and a residential building on Friday, wounding at least four people, local officials said.

Three children and a woman were hurt when bombs hit a central part of the town of Derhachi in the Kharkiv region, governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Two bombs struck an industrial facility in the Sumy region, regional authorities said, but gave no further details.

The two neighbouring regions border Russia and have suffered frequent aerial attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The strikes have become more intense in recent weeks, hitting civilian and energy infrastructure.

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