(Dan Tri) – The Ukrainian army is having to use its last source of artillery ammunition to deal with Russian attacks while waiting for new aid from the West.
Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk (Photo: Reuters).
Ukrainian soldiers manning US-supplied M777 artillery near the front in Donetsk, the eastern part of the country has been witnessing a slow but steady advance by Russian forces in recent weeks.
Similar to other artillery positions along the 1,000km line of communication in eastern and southern Ukraine, they do not have enough artillery ammunition needed to stop Russian attacks that could turn the tide of the war.
`If in the early stages of the conflict we fired up to 100 shells a day, now, firing 30 shells a day is already a luxury,` Ukrainian artillery commander Oleksandr Kozachenko told Reuters earlier this month.
Ukrainian units are still waiting for supplies from the new US aid package worth nearly 61 billion USD.
Russia now has far superior firepower and is slowly advancing around the town of Avdiivka after capturing it in February as well as west of Bakhmut.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi admitted on April 28 that the situation in the East has recently worsened and his forces have withdrawn from three villages here.
Soldiers in a position about 8km from the front said they did not know when more artillery shells would arrive.
According to Mr. Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with Black Bird Group, a Finnish-run volunteer group that analyzes satellite images and social media content, Russia gained more territory in Ukraine in 2024 than before.
Russian forces are focusing the bulk of their attacks on the strategic town of Chasiv Yar, just west of Bakhmut and further south around Ocheretyne.
Ukrainian officials believe Russia wants to take control of Chasiv Yar before May 9, or Victory Day in Russia.
Ukrainian soldiers said Russian attacks take place regularly but are often unpredictable.
Ukrainian soldiers admit that Russian drones are a constant threat while Ukraine’s forces are stretched thin and increasingly tired.
A battalion commander in Boichak’s same brigade said Russian forces’ small tactical gains did not yet add up to a significant strategic advantage, but Moscow could throw more troops into battle than Kiev.
