Ukraine’s military on Wednesday reported repelling a Russian attack in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine overnight.
Ukrainian forces “inflicted significant losses on the enemy’’ during an attempted offensive around Verkhnokamianske, Bilohorivka and Hryhorivka, and Russian forces retreated, the Ukrainian military’s general staff said.
The three small settlements were 10 to 15 kilometres west of Lysychansk, a Ukrainian city captured by Russian forces at the weekend.
In the Bakhmut area to the south, Ukrainian forces also reportedly managed to halt a Russian advance and inflict losses.
The information could not be independently verified.
The Ukrainian army had built a new defensive wall along the line of three small towns – Siversk, Soledar and Bakhmut after the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk fell.
The aim was to stop Russia’s offensive from the east on the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk industrial area, which was Ukraine’s military headquarters in the Donbas.
Fighting is currently underway around its front lines.