(Dan Tri) – The Ukrainian military said Russia continues to focus its efforts on attacking cities in the Donetsk area of the Donbass region.
Russian forces participate in the military campaign in Ukraine (Photo: Sputnik).
`The enemy continues to focus its main offensive efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut and Marinka axis. More than 35 skirmishes took place during the day,` the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced on February 26.
According to the Ukrainian army, in the direction of Bakhmut, Russia launched `attacks in the vicinity of Bohdanivka but were unsuccessful`.
`They conducted airstrikes in the Soledar and Bila Hora areas of Donetsk,` the Ukrainian General Staff confirmed.
The Ukrainian army announced that in the direction of Marinka, Russia conducted unsuccessful attacks and `air strikes near Krasnohorivka`.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine said that in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Russian forces are on the defensive and focusing their main efforts on `blocking the advance of the Ukrainian army`.
`The threat of missile attacks and air strikes across Ukraine remains high,` the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said, confirming that Russian forces had conducted 36 air strikes.
Ukraine war map (Photo: WSJ).
On the same day, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Russia’s main motivation now is to retain the territories it already controls.
`The motivation `not to lose` controlled territories will be much stronger than the motivation to gain new territories… Psychologically, it is easier for them to accept an unsuccessful attack
`Russia’s task now is to stop our counterattack at any cost. By blowing up dams, mines, constant shelling, sabotage, information campaigns, even
Ms. Maliar admitted that this is a difficult time for the Ukrainian army as it continues to counterattack.
`Our army is in real trouble. Very difficult. But they are still moving forward. Steadily. Because we are fighting a just war. And this is strength
Previously, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister announced that the country’s military forces had regained control of Rivnopil, a southeast settlement in Donetsk.
In a video posted by the press center of the Tavria Defense Forces on June 26, a Ukrainian soldier said, `soldiers of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 31st Mechanized Brigade liberated the village.
Last week, spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Kovalov confirmed that Ukrainian forces had partially successfully attacked in the direction of Rivnopil-Staromaiorske and were `entrenched in the established boundary areas.`
Andrey Kartapolov, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Russian State Duma (lower house), said on June 26 that the counterattack by Ukrainian forces did not go as planned due to heavy losses.