Ukraine’s top commander worked in Donetsk region amid intensifying Russian assaults

KYIV: Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said he worked with Ukrainian brigades defending the Novopavlivka front in the Donetsk region amid intensifying Russian assaults.

“The enemy is conducting intense offensive actions in this area, trying to break through the defences of our troops and capture three settlements,” Syrskyi wrote on Facebook.

Russia says its forces capture two settlements in eastern Ukraine

Improved interaction between military units and regrouping of troops helped to slow the Russian advance in the most-threatened areas on this front, he added.