Russian troops attempt to advance in eastern Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces are still trying to break through Ukrainian defenses in the east of the country, Ukraine’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday, as Moscow tries to build momentum ahead of the first anniversary of his invasion.

Russian artillery, drones and missiles have relentlessly pounded Kiev-controlled parts of eastern Ukraine for months, striking civilian targets indiscriminately and wreaking havoc as the war slowed to a stalemate in the winter course. The Kremlin is hungry for success on the battlefield after months of setbacks.

With the first anniversary of the Russian war and better spring weather on the horizon, Western officials and analysts say the fighting could be approaching a crucial phase as both sides try to launch offensives.

The Kremlin is seeking to secure the eastern provinces it illegally annexed last September – Donetsk, Jershon, Luhansk and Zaporiyia – where it says its authority is welcome. Since 2014, pro-Russian separatists have controlled part of Donetsk and neighboring Lugansk, which form the industrial heart of the country, Donbass.

“The enemy, trying to take full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, continues to focus its main efforts on carrying out offensive operations in the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk regions,” the report said. Ukrainian army, referring to towns in both provinces and east of neighboring Kharkiv.

Amid the fighting, Ukrainian Red Cross volunteers transferred patients with reduced mobility from Donetsk hospitals to medical trains operated by Doctors Without Borders which evacuated them to safer parts of the country.

The fighting is depleting the arsenals of Russia and Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned earlier in the week that Ukraine was using munitions much faster than its allies could provide.

Russian military industrial production “is becoming a critical weakness”, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday.

For their part, US defense officials insist that Iran is helping the Kremlin continue its attacks by sending drones.

The continued defense of Bakhmut, a mining town that has for months been a key target in the Russian campaign to the east, has been “strategically close together” as it has slowed Moscow’s advance, according to a US think tank.

The Kiev operation has “significantly degraded Russian forces”, including units from the Wagner Group, a private Russian military contractor, the Institute for the Study of War said on Tuesday.

Some analysts had questioned Ukraine’s wisdom to cling to Bakhmut as it could undermine the chances of their long-awaited spring offensive.

The war has caused widespread suffering and the global economy, especially in emerging countries, continues to suffer from its consequences.