On Saturday, Kyiv's senior military commander stated that Ukrainian forces are holding the lines in Donetsk, including the besieged town of Bakhmut, with the most brutal fighting occurring for the cities of Vuhledar and Maryinka.
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, stated that Russia conducts over 50 attacks every day in Donetsk, an area in southeast Ukraine that Moscow has been attempting to seize entirely.
After speaking with U.S. General Mark Milley, Zaluzhnyi stated in a Telegram message that "Fierce fighting continues in the area of Vuhledar and Maryinka"
"We consistently hold the defence. In several parts of the front, we have regained lost positions and established a foothold."
Zaluzhnii did not indicate the location of the gains. He added that Ukraine continues to hold Bakhmut, attempting to "stabilize" the frontline surrounding the city.
The leader of the Russian Wagner mercenary unit stated on Saturday that his soldiers are experiencing tough opposition from Ukrainian defenders near Bakhmut.
Britain reported Friday that Russian forces were making progress north of Bakhmut but were having difficulty attacking Vuhledar, 150 kilometres (93 miles) to the south.
As fighting along the frontline has reduced in recent months to what the Ukrainian defence ministry describes as "crawling" attempts to advance, it is impossible to determine independently which side controls which locations.
Oleh Zhdanov, a military expert for Ukraine, stated that despite Russia's push in Maryinka, a nearly abandoned and ruined tiny city that has been on the frontline from the beginning of the war a year ago, Ukrainian soldiers were able to maintain their position.
Zhdanov stated in a social media video that "Fighting is going on in the city centre, but there have been no changes over the past 24 hours,"
Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said it might take two years for Moscow to control Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Moscow claimed both as "republics" of Russia last year, a move recognized as unconstitutional by the majority of United Nations member states.
In recent months, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and senior military authorities have engaged in a diplomatic marathon to acquire additional Western weapons and fighter planes.
"The key to success on the battlefield is effective fire damage, which requires an appropriate amount of weapons and ammunition," Zalutchnie added.
