Section: The Centre for Eastern Studies (Poland)
Weather conditions force the front to stabilise. Day 417 of the war
The situation on the front has not changed significantly, and damp fields and muddy roads are significantly limiting the invaders’ ability to conduct offensive operations outside the town centre. Wagner Group troops are constantly storming Ukrainian positions in the western part of Bakhmut, but are not having any meaningful successes....
Russian army in search of human reserves. Day 414 of the war
There have been no major changes on the front line in recent days, and the main areas of fighting remain Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and the forest complex near Kreminna. In Bakhmut, the Ukrainian forces are defending themselves in the western part of the town, but are slowly abandoning more buildings under the onslaught of assault troops from the...
Reznikov encourages people to join the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. Day 411 of the war
The main Ukrainian defence line in Bakhmut runs along the railway line separating the centre from the western part of the town. One of the most important points of defence is the Bakhmut-2 train station; the Bakhmut-1 train station, located in the centre, was seized by the Russians last week. Fighting is continuing for Khromove on the western...
The Polish-Ukrainian military partnership. Day 407 of the war
Russian forces have probably captured the more important facilities in the centre of Bakhmut (including administration buildings and the train station) and linked up the subdivisions attacking from the northern and southern parts of the city. However, the Ukrainians continue to hold positions in the centre, and the command and government in Kyiv...
Ukraine prepares to launch a counteroffensive. Day 400 of the war
Russian forces have reached the centre of Bakhmut, where fierce fighting is taking place. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, after making a series of unsuccessful attempts to break through the defences to the northeast and south of Chasiv Yar, the invading forces will probably focus on seizing the town of Orikhovo-Vasylivka south of the...
Ukraine: the IMF support package and increased defence spending
On 21 March 2023 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it had reached a preliminary agreement with Ukraine on an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme, under which the country will receive a total of $15.6 billion in funding, including $4.5 billion by the end of this year. The four-year programme is divided into two phases. In the...
Ukrainian forces counter Russian attempts to encircle Bakhmut and Avdiivka. Day 393 of the war
Bakhmut and Avdiivka are still the main areas of fighting, as Russian forces (including units of the Wagner Group and the 1st Donetsk Army Corps) continue their operations to encircle both towns. Around Bakhmut, clashes are mainly taking place on the city’s north-western outskirts, where Ukrainian forces are managing to hold their positions...
The EU will send more ammunition to Ukraine. Day 391 of the war
On the night of 22 March, the Russians launched another attack using Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones. Unspecified infrastructure facilities in the Zhytomyr and Kyiv oblasts were damaged; at least four people were killed and more than 20 wounded. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the defenders shot down 16 of the 21 attacking drones. On the...
The Russians have surrounded Avdiivka. Day 389 of the war
Ukrainian forces are holding back the Russian advance along the M03 highway. The invading troops have failed to make any progress over the past few days; the fighting has stuck on the approaches to the hills separating the Russian forces from Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. In addition, they have pushed the Russians away from the Khromove-Chasiv Yar...
Polish and Slovak MiG-29 fighter jets for Ukraine. Day 386 of the war
Russian forces have made progress on both sides of the M03 highway towards Sloviansk – they have approached the enemy’s defence line in the strip of hills on the eastern side of the Donets–Donbas canal. Ukrainian troops are holding off the aggressor to the northeast and south of Chasiv Yar, but they are finding it increasingly difficult to...
