Ukraine is pushed into a difficult position in the east.

TASS news agency yesterday (December 15) quoted informed sources as saying that about 700 Ukrainian soldiers were trapped in the town of Hannivka, about 13 km south of the strategic city of Kurakhove (Donetsk province, eastern Ukraine).

The soldiers are said to have repeatedly asked to withdraw but were not accepted. In addition, a Russian military official said that at least 200 Ukrainian soldiers in Kurakhove were surrounded and had to take shelter in a thermal power plant. Kyiv has not commented on the above information.

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The third winter fighting since the outbreak of hostilities is going in Ukraine’s favor. Not only are Ukrainian forces outgunned in Kurakhove, they are also struggling to defend the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub for Kyiv’s army in the east. Ukraine’s Khortytsiya military command said on December 14 that Russian forces had pushed Ukrainian troops out of several positions around Pokrovsk, Reuters reported.

An area of ​​Pokrovsk city (photo taken on December 12)

Military observers predict that Ukraine is very close to losing Kurakhove, Pokrovsk and other strongholds in the east. TSN news site on December 14 quoted Ukrainian Army Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi as saying that the leadership and soldiers are doing everything to stop the opponent, emphasizing that the top priority at the moment is to focus all efforts on defending important areas, places that are at risk of losing settlements. "This requires us to reallocate resources and resources. At the same time, we need to think not only for tomorrow, but for the next month or six months to restructure," Mr. Drapatyi said.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ukraine-bi-day-vao-the-kho-o-mien-dong-185241215232940496.htm