Vladimir Putin's administration on Wednesday reported military advances on the eastern front as Kyiv asked for faster supplies of military aid to fight Russia.
What Happened: The Russian Defence Ministry said Moscow's troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defenses on the eastern front.
The Russian administration said the Ukrainians had retreated in the face of the Kremlin’s attacks in the war-torn nation's Luhansk region.
“During the offensive…the Ukrainian troops randomly retreated to a distance of up to 3 km (1.9 miles) from the previously occupied lines,” the ministry said on the Telegram, and added, “Even the more fortified second line of defense of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military.”
Ukraine has repeatedly warned of renewed attacks from Russia in the past weeks and a major new offensive was widely anticipated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his nightly speech on Tuesday, said Moscow was in a hurry to achieve as much as it could with its latest push before Kyiv and its Western allies gather strength. “That is why speed is of the essence,” Zelenskyy said.
“Speed in everything — adopting decisions, carrying out decisions, shipping supplies, training. Speed saves people’s lives,” Zelenskyy said as NATO defense chiefs met in Brussels for talks that continue on Wednesday.
In its morning update on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, however, did not mention any setbacks in Luhansk. The General Staff said Ukraine units had repelled attacks in the areas of more than 20 settlements, including Bakhmut and Vuhledar — a town 150 km (90 miles) southwest of Bakhmut.
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