Russians are concentrating forces for a breakthrough west of Bakhmut, Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov said on 14 April after visiting combat units on the frontline.
Many Ukrainian and Western experts assessed a serious threat of Russian troop advancements and breakthroughs on the frontline in Ukraine, primarily due to a lack of personnel in the Ukrainian Defense Forces and supplies of Western weapons.
Umeros also wrote on Facebook that he “visited combat units in the Eastern frontline direction. The situation is tense. The enemy [Russian foces] is trying to advance into the positions of the Defense Forces, concentrating on a breakthrough west of Bakhmut.”
However, he said that Ukraine’s Defense Forces are effectively disrupting “these plans.”
“Despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, we are effectively disrupting these plans thanks to the defenders’ courage, training, and professionalism.”
Umerov reported that while visiting Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline, he also awarded military personnel who distinguished themselves in heavy battles with the overwhelming enemy with state and ministerial awards.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on 13 April that the situation on the frontline had significantly deteriorated in recent days.
According to Syrskyi, the Russian forces have significantly intensified their offensive actions in the Lyman and Bakhmut directions. In the Pokrovsk direction, they attempt to break through the defense with dozens of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
He also said that Russia is concentrating its efforts to break through the defenses west of Bakhmut and seize the village of Chasiv Yar.
In his 14 April address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the situation at the front, especially in the Donetsk sector, had recently deteriorated.
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