Ukraine War: Zelensky fears 'difficult' frontline battles against Russia

Ukrainian troops, reeling from losing a key town, now face “extremely difficult” conditions all along the frontline with Russia because of delayed foreign aid, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.

A heightened Russian offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine saw them capture the key town of Avdiivka last week in a major boost ahead of the second anniversary of the February 2022 invasion.

The Ukrainian military also says it is critically short of ammunition and shells, worsened by the holdup of a $60 billion US aid package.

“The situation is extremely difficult in several parts of the front line, where Russian troops have concentrated maximum reserves,” Zelensky said after visiting frontline troops in the Kharkiv region.

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Senior commander Oleksandr Tarnavsky said that Russia was launching multiple attacks near the village of Robotyne, one of the few locations where Ukraine regained ground during a counter-offensive last year. Russian troops “are taking advantage of the delays in helping Ukraine,” Zelensky continued, highlighting shortages of artillery, frontline air defense, and longer-range weapons.

Ukrainian commanders had predicted that Russia would move troops from Avdiivka to other parts of the frontline. Additionally, Ukrainian troops reported that they were coming under “heavy fire” from advancing Russian forces in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

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“These offensive attempts are being halted, the enemy is being eliminated in the outskirts of Robotyne,” Tarnavsky said in a post on Telegram.

Moscow’s forces were reportedly near the village’s southern borders, according to earlier reports from Russian military bloggers.

Robotyne, like a lot of other settlements in eastern Ukraine, has been totally destroyed by months of artillery bombardment.

Towns like Selydove, which is 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Avdiivka, are now afraid that they may be the target of a Russian offensive next. Residents of Selydove said that a growing number of them are moving out of the town.

Zelensky was informed on Sunday by US President Joe Biden that he was “confident” the Republican-controlled US Congress would approve the desperately needed aid.

According to Biden, without the assistance, another Ukrainian town might fall to Russia.

Polish truckers and farmers are attempting to block the border and blaming their Ukrainian counterparts of sabotaging their company, posing another frontier assault on Ukraine.

Polish farmers are intensifying their protests against their government and demanding that all border traffic stop on Tuesday.

Despite Poland being one of Ukraine’s most ardent allies since Russia invaded in February 2022, the dispute has soured relations between the neighbors.