On Sunday, the deputy defense minister of Ukraine said that Russian troops have made some gains near the town of Svatove, which is in the east of Ukraine.
Hanna Maliar, who works for the defense ministry, said in a Telegram message, “There is fierce fighting going on.” “Bilohorivka and Serebrianka are under attack by the enemy.” She was talking about two small towns to the south of Svatove.
The eastern town in the Luhansk area has been seen as a key target for Ukrainian troops for a long time. It is near important Russian supply lines, so if Ukraine were to take it back, it would be a big strategic deal for them.
Russia is attacking from several places along the whole eastern front line, where “heavy fighting” is still going on. Maliar said that the towns of Avdiivka, Marinka, and Lyman are some of them. He was repeating what the Ukrainian military said Saturday.
Maliar said that while Ukrainian fighters are moving forward along the southern side in the Bakhmut area and having “partial success,” Russia has moved two air assault regiments to the northern flank and the fighting is still going on.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has said that he is scared of losing support from both parties in the United States because of what he called “dangerous messages from some Republicans.”
Zelenskyy told Spanish media at a news conference in Kyiv on Saturday, “Mike Pence has been here, and he respects Ukraine. First as a citizen of the United States, then as a Republican.”
“Both parties agree with us. But there are different ideas about how to help Ukraine in their circles. Some Republicans are sending signs, some of which are dangerous, that there may be less support,” he said.
