Russian forces keep concentrating their main offensive efforts on the Lymanskyi, Bakhmutskyi, Avdiivskyi, and Marinskyi directions

The settlements of Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka remain at the epicenter of hostilities, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on April 6.

Heavy fighting is currently taking place near Bakhmut, and the enemy continues to attack, stated Serhii Cherevatyi, Spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “Russian troops still have the significant military capacity to hit our positions. Compared with the summer period, when the enemy had the opportunity to strike with all types of weapons and calibers non-stop, now there is no such thing: they concentrate only where there is such a need to fire our positions. The most difficult situation is in the Bakhmutskyi and the Lymanskyi direction, while the last one even leads in shellings from enemy artillery”.

According to Serhii Cherevatyi, there is a positional war in Bakhmut, and the situation constantly changes. “For instance, Russian soldiers can capture a house, but after artillery shelling from Ukrainian troops, they withdraw, and our military can take up positions. Sometimes the enemy succeeds in their military actions. Street fights continue in the city”.

On April 5, there were 245 shellings by various artillery systems in the Bakhmut direction, 21 firefights, 88 Russian occupiers were killed, and 124 were injured. In addition, three enemy UAVs, one electronic warfare station, and an ammunition warehouse were destroyed.

“Ukrainian troops are currently in Bakhmut, and the enemy does not control the city. This is the situation,” stated President Zelenskyy on April 5, 2023.

At the beginning of April 2023, Hanna Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, also reported that Russian forces were conducting offensive operations in the Avdiivka area to surround the city and block supply routes.

The situation in Avdiivka is complicated: the Russian army has been constantly shelling the city, and since March 27, 2023, Avdiivka has been closed to entry for volunteers, journalists, and civilians.

“In addition, military actions continue near the cities of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region and Marinka in the Donetsk region,” added Hanna Maliar.

At the end of February 2023, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of the Donetsk regional military administration, stated that the cities of Avdiivka and Bakhmut were almost completely destroyed due to Russian shellings. “As for the frontline areas, there is a large percentage of destruction there. Avdiivka was actually completely destroyed. The city-fortress of Bakhmut is also more than 80% destroyed”. The aerial shots of Marinka in the Donetsk region also show complete ruins where the city once was.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Russian occupiers have killed 3,903 and injured 5,455 civilians in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.