Ukraine claims Russian forces tasked with taking control of Chasiv Yar by May 9

ISTANBUL

Ukraine on Sunday claimed Russian military leadership has tasked its forces to take control of the city of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region by May 9.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement that Russia is concentrating its efforts to break through Ukraine’s defenses west of the city of Bakhmut.

“The implementation of the enemy's plans is hindered by the heroic defense of our brigades, which literally dug into the ground, holding back the enemy's daily attacks,” Syrskyi added.

He said measures were taken to significantly strengthen the brigades in the area with ammunition, drones and electronic warfare in order to respond to Russia’s actions and strengthen the defense of Ukraine’s troops in this direction.

Syrskyi said the main conclusion from his two-day visit to the area include the need to improve the quality of training, increase the number of high-tech unmanned systems, and improve the quality of conducting asymmetric operations to reduce Russia’s combat potential.

“The main task of these measures is to increase the fighting capacity of our troops, save the lives of our soldiers, disrupt the enemy's plans, and ensure the preparation of reserves,” he added.

Earlier, Syrskyi said the situation on Ukraine's eastern front had "significantly worsened in recent days" due to Russia’s significant intensification of offensive actions following the country’s presidential election last month.

He said that this is facilitated by warm and dry weather, which has made most of the open areas in the country accessible to tanks.