KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine said on Thursday that the eastern town of Audiyivka could soon become a “second Bakhmut”.
Audiiyka is located just north of Donetsk which is occupied by Russia.
Ukrainian army chief Shirsky said on Monday that Russian forces are trying to break through Ukrainian defenses from multiple directions in an attempt to completely surround the Bakhmut battlefield in the eastern Donetsk region.
A spokesman for the army in Ukraine said on Monday that they agree with the British Defense Intelligence Agency’s assessment that the Russian army is attacking supply lines to Audiiyka.
“The enemy is constantly trying to surround Audiiyka. I agree with the British opinion that Audiiyka could soon become the second Bakhmut,” he said, adding that all Russian operations are going well. He pointed out that it is not.
Audiiyka has become a front line between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian militants who have taken control of the region since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
