Russians advance in eastern Ukraine
As Moscow seeks to capitalize on the situation before to the arrival of Western help, fighting has broken out near Avdiivka in the Donetsk area.
Significant progress has been achieved in eastern Ukraine by the Russian army.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in its daily intelligence update on Tuesday that the Russian army had advanced in Ocheretyne, close to Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk area.
Russian forces reportedly advanced almost 5 kilometers in 10 days, and footage published by pro-Kremlin military bloggers shows the flag flying above the destroyed settlement.
However, according to the ISW, Moscow’s troops do not possess complete control of the region.
A US research group has predicted that the frontline situation would “likely continue to deteriorate… particularly if Russian forces increase their attacks to take advantage of the limited window before the arrival of new US aid.”
Ukrainian military leaders have said that as many as 25,000 Russian forces are attempting to overrun the Donetsk area villages and Chasiv Yar.
In their pursuit of Chasiv Yar, they aim to seize the settlement of Ivanovskoye and the surrounding area of Bogdanovka.
For further advances against the three cities in Donetsk—Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk—Chasiv Yar is an important strategic location.
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington, the American and Ukrainian flags fluttered in the breeze outside the Capitol.
According to US authorities, Ukraine is set to receive $1 billion (€0.93 billion) in additional military assistance from the Pentagon, as announced on Tuesday.
At the same time that Lithuania announced the supply of a batch of M577 command and staff armored vehicles to Ukraine, the United Kingdom increased its military assistance to Kyiv by €580 million.
In February, the ISW said that Kyiv had to save military materiel due to delays in Western security support; experts are concerned that these delays have aided Russia’s advance. The announcements follow these statements.
According to CNN, a portion of the US military assistance for Ukraine is now in Poland and Germany, which shortens the time it takes for the supplies to reach the battlefield.
However, certain worries persist.
“Even if US materiel moves quickly, transport logistics will likely mean the aid ‘will not begin to affect the situation on the front line for several weeks,'” the ISW said on X on Tuesday.
In reaction to the US assistance package, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the Moscow army will step up its strikes on Western armament storage depots and supply centers in Ukraine.
Claiming they were unable to defend themselves against Russian advances due to a shortage of artillery ammunition and air defense equipment from the West, Ukrainian soldiers retreated from Avdiivka in February.
U.S. aid to Ukraine has exceeded $44 billion (€41 billion) since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. This includes weaponry, maintenance supplies, training, and replacement components.
During much of that period, relief shipments were occurring on a regular basis, about once every several weeks.
However, by the 30th of September, the conclusion of the fiscal year, the funds began to run out.
Because it could not afford to replace them without the blocked budget agreement in Congress, the Pentagon said in mid-December that it had ran out of money and had to cease supplying weapons.
