Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from a village in eastern Ukraine, according to an army spokesman on Monday, marking another retreat as Russian forces continue to advance with their superior manpower and ammunition in the third year of the war.
The village of Lastochkyne, west of Avdiivka near Donetsk city, saw Ukrainian troops pull back to nearby villages in an effort to consolidate their defenses, said Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesman for one of the Ukrainian troop groupings, speaking on national television.
While the loss of Lastochkyne is not a significant setback on its own, it underscores the challenges Ukraine faces on the battlefield. The recent phase of the conflict has brought grim developments for Ukraine, with its troops facing heavy losses of personnel and equipment against the overwhelming firepower of Russian forces.
Ukrainian Soldiers (Credits: Newsweek)
Western analysts report that Russian forces are mounting attacks on multiple fronts in the northeast, aiming to push deeper into Ukraine-held territory in Donetsk and penetrate the Kharkiv region to the north.
Despite promises of military support from the West, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustan Umerov expressed frustration on Sunday that half of the promised assistance has not arrived on time, hampering military planning and costing lives.
In a show of solidarity, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov visited Kyiv on Monday, and more than 20 European leaders and Western officials convened in Paris to discuss the war, with French President Emmanuel Macron emphasizing the need for Kyiv to receive more military resources for an extended period.
In the United States, President Joe Biden sought to overcome political obstacles to provide more aid to Ukraine, meeting with congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Russia launched several missiles and drones over Ukraine on Monday, with Ukraine’s Air Force intercepting some of them. Tragically, a married couple in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine was killed at home by a guided aerial bomb, according to regional authorities.
