Russian forces have advanced further into Ukraine’s east, taking several more villages last week, while Ukraine’s European allies increased their weapons pledges and the full effect of the long-delayed US military aid became apparent. The majority of Russian tactical gains came west of Avdiivka, which fell on February 17, and where the Russians have maintained their momentum. Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group, said Russia had committed four brigades to the offensive, about 20,000 men, and that Ukrainian reserves had been sent in to bolster defences. The Russian advance has already created a five-kilometre-deep salient into Ukrainian free territory.
Russian forces advanced into the northern reaches of the village of Semenivka last Wednesday, overran Novobakhmutivka five kilometres to the north and attacked neighbouring Solovyove. By Friday, Semenivka and Solovyove, too, had fallen. Russian forces on Saturday launched a massive assault on Ocheretyne, two kilometres further north, and had reached its western outskirts by Monday.
While Russia focused on the Avdiivka area, its attacks lessened in the other area of intense conflict, Chasiv Yar, some 45km to the north, which Russian forces have been trying to capture as a gateway to the rest of Donetsk. But on Monday, they unleashed their fury here, too, focusing on two villages to the north and south of Chasiv Yar in a now familiar Russian attempt at operational encirclement.
Ukraine’s allies stepped up their pledges of deliverable weapons from stockpiles as the situation on the ground deteriorated. The UK announced its largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on April 23, worth half a billion pounds ($625bn). The package comprises 400 armoured or all-terrain vehicles, 60 boats, and 1,600 missiles for air defence, attack and long-range strikes. Denmark voted overwhelmingly to increase aid to Ukraine this year by $590m. Australia announced a $100m military aid package to Ukraine, with half of it dedicated to short-range air defence. On Monday, Germany announced a military aid package to Ukraine including a Skynex air defence complex, artillery rounds, and ammunition for IRIS-T air defence systems, Gepard anti-aircraft guns and other systems. The US shipped out a billion dollars-worth of equipment last week, hours after US President Joe Biden signed into law a $95bn supplemental defence budget it took Congress almost six months to approve.
