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The commander of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk group of forces has been replaced following Russian advances in the region, a military official said Saturday.
General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy would take over as head of the operational and tactical group, replacing General Oleksandr Lutsenko, the official told CNN.
Russia unleashed its largest air strike on Ukraine in almost three months on Sunday, launching 120 missiles and 90 drones that killed at least seven people and caused severe damage to the power system, officials said.
Ukrainians had been bracing for weeks for a renewed Russian attack on an already hobbled energy system, fearing long winter blackouts and mounting psychological pressure almost 1,000 days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
North Korean troops have entered the fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, clashing for the first time with Ukrainian forces who are occupying a large chunk of Russia’s Kursk region, according to a senior Ukrainian official and a senior U.S. official.
The engagement was limited, the Ukrainian official said, and likely meant to probe the Ukrainian lines for weaknesses. The North Koreans fought together with Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, the official said.
Russia’s defence ministry said Tuesday that its forces had captured the eastern Ukrainian town of Selydove as Moscow’s troops advance closer to the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
The capture of the frontline town of Selydove located about 18 km (10 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk is the latest gain for Russia, which has taken large swathes of territory in the Donetsk region in recent months.
Ukrainian paratroopers have reportedly broken through another section of the Russian border in the Kursk region, according to the Airborne Assault Forces of Ukraine on Telegram.
The breakthrough was achieved by units of the 95th Separate Assault Brigade, marking the second successful border breach since the start of the operation in the Kursk region of Russia.