MOSCOW: Russia on Friday claimed that its troops were making significant progress on all fronts in Ukraine, despite minimal observable movement more than a year and a half since the initiation of Moscow’s large-scale assault.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that their forces were acting competently and decisively, gaining more favorable positions and expanding control in all directions, particularly intensifying assaults on the eastern front.
Although the frontlines have shown little change in 2023, the conflict has remained intense, with the nearly encircled town of Avdiivka emerging as a major flashpoint. In October, Russia renewed its efforts to capture the war-damaged town, and analysts suggest incremental gains by Moscow’s forces, albeit at a significant human cost.
Shoigu emphasized that Russian troops are effectively damaging the Ukrainian armed forces, substantially reducing their combat capabilities. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that it had taken control of Khromove, a small village on the outskirts of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
While Ukraine acknowledges that Russian operations in the east have considerably increased, it insists that its forces are holding their ground. Kyiv initiated a counteroffensive in June after acquiring Western weapons, but it faces challenges with well-entrenched Russian positions, achieving only modest progress.
A recent claim from Ukraine suggests it pushed Russian forces back a few kilometers from the banks of the Dnipro River two weeks ago, potentially marking the first significant advance in the counteroffensive if confirmed.
