Russian troops are advancing near the town of Vougledar, a new hot spot on the front in eastern Ukraine where Moscow has intensified its offensive, the head of the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, assured on Monday.
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“
Our units continue to advance (…) Units have established themselves in the east of Vougledar and work is continuing in the surrounding area
,” said Denis Pouchiline, quoted by Russian press agencies.
“The enemy will resist”
According to him, the Ukrainian army "
had time to entrench itself
" in this sector which has "
a large number of industrial sites and high buildings
", which facilitates defensive operations.
“
So we assume that the enemy will resist
”, continued Denis Pouchiline, refusing to make a forecast on the duration of the fighting for this locality.
Vougledar, a mining town which had 15,000 inhabitants before the Russian offensive, is located 150 kilometers south of Bakhmout, another hot spot on the eastern front that the Russian army has been trying to take for more than six months at the cost of heavy losses.
Denis Pushilin clarified on Monday that "
fierce fighting
" was underway near Bakhmout and that it was "
too early
" to talk about an encirclement of the city by Russian troops.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Bakhmout, Vougledar and other areas of the Donetsk region were under "
constant Russian attacks
".
The Kremlin has sworn to conquer the entire Donetsk region after demanding its annexation in September along with three other Ukrainian regions (Lougansk, Kherson, Zaporijjia).
