(Dan Tri) – The Russian Ministry of Defense said Ukraine lost more than 8,000 troops in the past week as Moscow continued to step up attacks in the Donbass region.
Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the Eastern front (Photo: New York Times).
On April 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Moscow’s forces had taken control of the villages of Novomikhailovka in the central region of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Bogdanovka, near the strategically important city of Chasiv Yar.
Intense fighting also broke out in the Avdiivka area in the DPR, where Russian forces are advancing towards the villages of Ocheretino and Netailovo, located further west of the strategic Donbass town that was captured by Moscow forces in September.
Data provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows that Ukraine has lost a total of 8,280 soldiers in the past 7 days, mainly in fighting in Donbass.
Russian forces also destroyed eight Ukrainian multiple launch artillery systems, including the US-made HIMARS system and the Czech-supplied RM-70 Vampire system.
Location of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine (Photo: FT).
Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Moscow forces had taken the initiative in the conflict in Ukraine and had `destroyed the myth of the superiority of Western weapons`.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s senior military commander, General Aleksandr Syrsky, described the situation on the front line as `difficult`.
`I have informed coalition members about the difficult strategic and operational situation, which tends to get worse,` Mr. Syrsky said on April 27.
Ukraine’s general said that Kiev `urgently needs` missiles, ammunition, weapons and military equipment.
His call came as the US approved a new military aid package for Ukraine worth about $61 billion after months of stagnation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the US approval of the aid bill.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba was more skeptical about the issue, saying `no aid package can stop Russia`.
In early April, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Ukraine had lost nearly 500,000 soldiers since the conflict began in February 2022.
