According to pro-Russian separatist officials in the Lugansk region of Donbass, Ukraine may soon evacuate the fighting forces because of recent severe damage.
The Ukrainian armed forces may remove their units stationed in the area of Lugansk due to the high number of military deaths, according to Vitaly Kiselyov, a representative of the interior service of the separatist territory of Lugansk, who spoke to Tass on December 9.
“Heavy casualties are being suffered by the enemy in the tactical direction of Lugansk, which includes Svatovo, Kremennaya, Lisichansk, Artyomovsk, and Soledar. As a result, there have been requests to withdraw soldiers to Kramatorsk and Slavyansk in order to receive reinforcements from the West. They were once more led into a burning pit by Ukraine, which they refer to as the Donbass attack “he stated.
According to Kiselyov, Ukrainian forces are losing an estimated one battalion every day close to Artyomovsk (also known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) and Soledar.
Earlier, Andrey Marochko, a spokesman for the separatist militia in Lugansk, said that foreign mercenaries were refusing to join the battle in the vicinity of Artyomovsk, where Ukrainian troops were suffering significant fatalities every day.
Eastern Ukraine has recently started to act as a hotspot in the struggle between Moscow and Kiev. President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that “extremely savage battle” was ongoing daily and that Ukrainian forces were making every effort to recapture the Russian-occupied territory.
On the Russian side, the main Russian army as well as pro-Moscow separatist troops in Donbass and Lugansk are attempting to halt the Ukrainian counterattack and advance in order to retake more land.
Denis Pushilin, the leader of the separatist territory in Donetsk, said in an interview with Tass on December 7 that since the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in February, the Russian military and the separatist forces in Donetsk had taken control of 338 towns, cities, and communities in the area.
Additionally, Pushilin declared that Opytnoye had just been seized by pro-Russian forces. This was a tactical win for the main Russian army and the separatist militia in Donetsk since it allowed them to end the siege of the town of Avdeyevka, a significant Ukrainian army foothold in Donetsk.
On December 8, Ukrainian officials were quoted by Reuters as reporting that Russian forces were shelling the entire Donetsk front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass area. The region around the cities of Artyomovsk and Avdeyevka is now the most violent front.
On December 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated: “Fierce fighting is taking place, fighting for every metre of ground, in the Donetsk area, the city of Bakhmut, and other hot locations.”
The conquest of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut) will boost army morale while enabling Russia to carry out artillery attacks on other significant cities. The two regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, generally referred to as the Donbass region, have been annexed by Russia, according to a recent announcement.
On the main route connecting Artyomovsk to other Donetsk cities including Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. As a result, Russia and forces supporting Russia view this as a crucial target that they must seize. Especially since Russia retreated from Kherson and aimed to secure significant successes on the Eastern front, this is currently one of the bloodiest battlegrounds in Ukraine.
