As Washington prepares for a day of intense diplomacy, the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine remains volatile. Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, has warned that the situation on the front line is "very difficult" and has predicted a new Russian offensive in the south. He stated that Moscow is regrouping forces around Pokrovsk in Donetsk — an area where Ukraine estimates that more than 100,000 Russian troops have been deployed — and is shifting additional units to the Zaporizhzhia front, where there has been little movement over the past year.
Syrskyi described Russia’s strategy as one of "a thousand cuts", involving small assault groups advancing in sudden thrusts. Although he acknowledged that Russian forces had advanced 10 to 12 kilometres into several settlements near Pokrovsk, he insisted that Ukrainian reinforcements, including airborne units, had transformed those gains into “despair” for the attackers. He added that President Vladimir Putin is seeking territorial gains at any cost, with every kilometre taken exacting a growing toll in Russian casualties.
Military analysts note that, despite the absence of major breakthroughs, Russian advances in eastern Ukraine have accelerated in recent months. In July alone, Moscow is estimated to have captured more than 600 square kilometres of territory, highlighting the mounting pressure on Ukraine's overstretched forces.
Source: commonspace.eu with CNN and agencies
