A Ukrainian tank in Bakhmut, Donetsk province, eastern Ukraine (Photo: AP).
"In the Bakhmut area, the enemy has significantly reinforced its formations and shifted from defensive to active action," said General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, on October 30.
He acknowledged that the situation on the eastern front was very difficult as Russian forces intensified their activity near the Ukrainian-controlled town of Kupiansk. He said that Russia was seeking to launch simultaneous attacks from multiple directions there.
On the other hand, he said, Russia suffered heavy losses here.
Bakhmut is located in the Donetsk province. It was once the most intense and bloody battleground between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Moscow gained control of Bakhmut in May. Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June to regain Bakhmut, as well as other territories in the east and south.
Meanwhile, on the Avdiivka front in Donetsk, Russia is concentrating forces to control the strategic city, according to the latest report from the Ukrainian General Staff. Avdiivka is located south of Bakhmut and was previously controlled by Russia, but Ukraine recaptured it in September.
Avdiivka and Bakhmut play a crucial role in Moscow's plan to gain complete control of eastern Ukraine.
Both Russia and Ukraine are reportedly stepping up military activity ahead of unfavorable weather conditions in the fall and winter. Russian officials have repeatedly stated that Ukraine's counter-offensive has failed and suffered heavy losses.
According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Ukraine has lost more than 90,000 troops after nearly five months of counter-offensive. "Since June 4th, when Ukraine began its counter-offensive, Kyiv has lost more than 90,000 troops, approximately 600 tanks, and nearly 1,900 armored vehicles. Ukraine has also not achieved any significant success on the battlefield," Shoigu stated at the Xiangshan Defense Forum in Beijing, China, on October 30th.
He also emphasized that Russia is ready to discuss post-conflict solutions to the crisis in Ukraine and coexist with the West.
"If the necessary conditions are established, we remain ready for political discussions on a practical basis, both on a post-conflict solution to the Ukrainian crisis and on coexistence with the West in general," Shoigu said.
He argued that the West is using Ukraine as a tool to inflict "strategic defeat" on Russia, following Moscow's response to NATO's eastward expansion.
The Russian Defense Minister said that the West's strategy of increasing pressure on Russia could lead to a military confrontation between nuclear powers.
"The West's policy of continuously escalating confrontation with Russia carries the potential risk of direct military conflict between nuclear powers," Minister Shoigu said.
Moscow has repeatedly criticized the West's continued arms supply to Ukraine. Russia argues that this will not change the course of the battlefield but will only escalate and prolong the conflict.
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