JANUARY 10, 2023 – While the battle lines between the Russian invaders and Ukrainian defenders have not shifted much, fighting in the Donbas region has been savage, a senior military official said today.
The fighting around the Bakhmut sector in the Donetsk region has obliterated the area with tens of thousands of artillery rounds impacting throughout the area.
The Russians are pushing against the Ukrainian military trying to push them back from that region. News reports from the region show many civilians fleeing the area.
The region is one place in Ukraine where Russia is pushing. “What I would say is that in terms of how the battlefield looks, [there are] not significant adjustments to the battlefield, quite honestly, over the last couple of weeks,” the military official said.
There are three Russian, Kalibr cruise missile-capable ships in the Black Sea, and the airspace over Ukraine remains contested.
The official said Ukrainians have done wonders in amalgamating various air defense capabilities from many different countries to build an integrated air defense system. Officials noted last week that the system shot down every unmanned aerial vehicle that aimed to attack Kyiv.
The official also talked of the momentum behind international donor nations. The United States will provide Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. Germany and France are also providing armored vehicles, and the Netherlands and the U. S. are refurbishing T-72 tanks.
In addition, the U.S. and other partner nations will train Ukrainian units in combined arms operations.
“What it really does is it demonstrates this continued commitment by NATO,” the official said, adding that the actions are proof that the commitment to help Ukraine has not wavered.
“That equipment is one thing, using the equipment is another,” he said. “So, you’ve seen, you’ve seen again many of our allies, but, you know, step forward to offer some additional collective training as it relates to the use of that equipment. This gives Ukrainians an opportunity to continue to work on what they’ve been doing over the past 10 years — adjusting the way they fight to a more of a combined arms effort.”
By Jim Garamone , DOD News