The Russians conquered a key territory, the village of Ocheterino

It comes after Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it was suspending consular services to men of military age living abroad, except for those returning to Ukraine for conscription purposes.

The Ukrainian army withdrew from Avdiyivka in February and has been trying to establish a new defensive line in the settlements along the Durna River, but in recent weeks reinforced Russian units have been moving towards a breach in the front line, using aerial bombs to destroy Ukrainian bunkers.

Ukrainian troops fled from Oceretin

Moscow’s Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian troops fled from Ocheretin in small groups and under heavy Russian attack. The video shows the destroyed administration building with broken windows and streets littered with rubble. The civilians seemed to have left.

This means that Russia has managed to bypass the northern flank of Ukraine’s recently built front line, including minefields and trenches. The village – once home to 3,000 people and a local road and rail hub – sits at the crossroads of the defense network.

The regional headquarters of the Ukrainian armed forces admitted that the situation is difficult. It said the Russians were using “a full arsenal of weapons against our units,” including what they described as chemical weapons. They occupied some buildings and occupied the southern part of Oceretin, it is stated. It added that “most villages” remained in Ukrainian hands, with the situation under control.

Russia’s next operational target?

Russian forces are located about 30 km from Pokrovsk, the main garrison town in the area, which is used to rotate troops and equipment, which appears to be Russia’s next operational target. Vladimir Putin ordered his soldiers to occupy the administrative borders of the Donetsk region.

Further north, a major Russian offensive is underway to capture the town of Chasiv Yar. Ukraine’s Eastern Military Command said 20,000-25,000 enemy troops were trying to storm the hilltop city and surrounding area. The Kremlin wants to win it by May 9 – the date Russians commemorate the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Russian fighter groups may not have an “indefinite time frame” to capitalize on their recent battlefield successes, the Institute for the Study of War (ISV) said.

Russia is aware of the opportunity

“The Russian military command is likely aware of the situation before more Western aid arrives and is trying to secure offensive advantages before that opportunity is lost,” the briefing said on Monday.

Much-needed shells for Ukraine procured through a Czech-led initiative are expected to arrive by the end of May or early June, and Joe Biden, the US president, is expected to sign the $61 billion aid package after it passes the Senate, meaning the Pentagon will probably within a few days to deliver some supplies from warehouses in Europe, such as 155mm artillery rounds.

The ISV said that even the ratio of artillery fire “will be essential to Ukraine’s ability to take the initiative away from Russian forces and slow the speed of the Russian advance in areas of the front such as the Avdiyevka direction.”

But other weapons and systems will take weeks and months. Zelensky said that the new American weapons will help Kiev regain the initiative, in his latest video address. He said Ukraine needed more Patriot air defense systems to “protect the skies,” as well as modern artillery and “long-range capability.” Zelensky welcomed the agreement for the Biden administration to deliver Atacms missiles, which have a range of 300 kilometers, for the first time.

Ukrainian soldiers on the front line complained that they were forced to ration ammunition. Russia is capable of firing at least six shells at every Ukrainian one, they said, and Moscow also has more tanks and combat vehicles. The Russian army also has a large number of infantry and often uses them in attacks. At least 50,000 Russian soldiers were killed, according to a BBC study.

Earlier this month Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, lowered the age limit for men from 27 to 25 . But as the situation on the battlefield worsens and casualties mount, an increasing number of men have left the country or are considering it; while those eager to enroll did so a long time ago.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on the X network that he had ordered measures to be taken with consular services to restore “fair treatment” of men of mobilization age.

– How it looks now: a man of draft age went abroad, showed his country that he does not care about its survival, and then comes and wants to receive favors from this country. It doesn’t work this way. Our country is at war – said Kuleba.

As of a full Russian invasion in 2022, men between the ages of 18 and 60 must remain in Ukraine, with certain exceptions. The Eurostat database estimates that around 4.3 million Ukrainians are registered in the countries of the European Union as of January 2024, of which around 20% are male adults, approximately 860,000 people.

(The Guardian)