Russia, “in numerical superiority” is “intensifying” its fighting in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar said on Wednesday, hours after announcing the delivery of western heavy tanks in Kyiv.
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“The fighting is intensifying,” she said on Telegram, referring to the area around Bachmout, which Moscow troops have been trying to capture for several months, but also around Vougledar, a town southwest of Donetsk.
This is the first time Vougledar, a pre-war town of about 15,000 located in the south-western part of the front line in the Donetsk region, is specifically named among the “intense” combat zones.
“The intensity of the fighting is increasing,” Ms Maliar said on Wednesday evening.
“Now in Donbass, our advantage over their numerical and armed superiority lies in the professionalism of the military command and the courage of the soldiers,” she said.