Russian forces are maintaining their momentum in Ukraine's Donetsk region, making marginal gains near Bakhmut, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), whose maps show the latest state of play on the front line.
The Washington, D.C., think tank's Monday update said geolocated footage showed marginal Russian advances east of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk as positional engagements continue northwest, west and southwest of Bakhmut.
A Russian military blogger has said that Russia's 11th Separate Guards Air Assault (VDV) Brigade had completely seized Ivanivske, although the ISW has not seen evidence for this. Newsweek has emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
The think tank's update on Monday maps these Russian claims, as well as advances around Avdiivka, the Donetsk oblast town that Moscow's troops captured last month. These include advances in Orlivka and west of Tonenke.
The think tank added that positional engagements are continuing around Avdiivka as well as west and southwest of Donetsk city, although there were no confirmed changes to the frontline in this area, the ISW said.
The ISW also noted how Ukrainian and Russian forces had recently made marginal advances along the Kupiansk-Kreminna line on Monday, while positional fighting further south Zaporizhzhia oblast saw no confirmed front-line changes.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Russian forces attacked border areas and settlements of Sumy oblast, firing 36 times and causing at least 181 explosions, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported, although there were no casualties.
Russia has stepped up its attacks on the region in recent weeks, with the town of Velyka Pysarivka on the Russia-Ukraine border a main target.
Ukraine awaits further Western military assistance, with a U.S. package held up in U.S. Congress. However, France said it would supply Kyiv with 78 Caesar howitzers and has boosted its production of artillery rounds, according to French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
He said Paris will also deliver 80,000 155 mm artillery shells to Ukraine in 2024, a considerable increase from 30,000 rounds last year.
Away from the front line, Kyiv has claimed to have successfully conducted strikes against a Ukrainian ship that Russian forces had captured in 2014 when Moscow illegally annexed Crimea.
Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Captain Third Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk said a Neptune missile strike had hit the Kostyantyn Olshansky Ropucha-class landing ship, which was being disassembled in Sevastopol for spare parts.
It was the latest blow against Russia's Black Sea Fleet, a third of whose vessels have reportedly taken out of action due to Ukrainian strikes.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
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