War in Ukraine: the outcome of the battle of Donbass will give an indication on the continuation of the war with Russia
Steph Deschamps / June 15, 2022
The defense by the Ukrainian army of the Donbass (east), a priority target of Moscow, is vital for Kiev because its outcome will give an indication on the continuation of the war with Russia, said Tuesday evening the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
It is vital to stay in the Donbass. (...) The defense of the region is essential to give an indication of who will dominate (on the ground) in the coming weeks, Zelensky said in his daily address to Ukrainians broadcast on Telegram.
We must hold on, he hammered, standing in front of the presidential administration building in Kiev, while the Russians have been progressing little by little in the Donbass to the point of practically controlling the entire Lugansk region.
Fighting in Severodonetsk and Lyssychansk, two cities with a population of about 100,000, has been raging for several days, and their capture by the Russian military would allow Moscow's troops to target Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region, some 70 km to the west.
The more losses the enemy suffers there, the less strength they will have to continue their aggression, Zelensky said.
However, the Ukrainian president said that his army suffered heavy losses in the Kharkiv region (east), where the Russian army is trying to strengthen its position according to him.
Another area of intense fighting between Ukrainians and Russians is Kherson in the south. We continue to exert pressure on the occupiers in this region, said Volodymyr Zelensky.
The key objective is the liberation of Kherson, a city occupied by the Russians since the very beginning of the Russian invasion at the end of February, and we will advance step by step to achieve it, he promised.