VIDEO: Russians liquidate retreating Ukrainians. In addition to weapons, the defenders also lack fortifications

Russian troops have taken control of the village of Ocheretyne in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said on Sunday, according to Reuters, and some time ago they reported on the capture of other villages. The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian troops, Oleksandr Syrskyi, also admitted the territorial losses, who spoke of a tactical retreat. However, this does not take place in some places of the queue. A video from the Donetsk region shows the Russians systematically liquidating a retreating Ukrainian unit. The AP agency notes that the Ukrainians in many places on the front cannot count on retreating to safety. They lack a defensive line.

Očeretyne, where about 3,000 people lived before the war, is located a few kilometers northwest of Avdijivka. The Russian and Ukrainian armies fought bloody battles for it this winter, and in February the city of approximately 30,000 people fell into Russian hands.

The Reuters agency reminds that since the capture of Avdijivka, Russian troops have been advancing slowly and have recently captured several villages. In recent months, the Ukrainian army has been dealing with an acute shortage of weapons and ammunition, and the Russian troops also have several times the numerical superiority over the Ukrainian troops.

But the ground is burning under Ukrainians’ feet also north of Avdijivka. As video footage released by the Russians shows, the defenders had to leave even the village of Archanhelske. According to Russian sources, the Russians occupied the village during the weekend. They bombarded the retreating unit of Ukrainians with precision fire controlled from a drone.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian forces, commented on the tense situation at the front this week. “Units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have moved to new lines west of Berdych, Semenivka and Novomykhaylivka (…) Overall, the enemy achieved certain tactical successes in these areas, but did not manage to gain operational superiority,” said the commander of the Ukrainian army, adding that the Ukrainian troops are trying to maintain their fighting ability by retreating.

However, the retreat in some areas does not lead to the preservation of combat capability, this especially applies to the east of Ukraine after the fall of Avdijivka, which since 2014 has served as a fortress holding back the advance of the Russians. Ukraine is rushing to build concrete fortified trenches, firing positions and other barricades on the front lines, but relentless Russian shelling, equipment shortages and crippling bureaucracy are plaguing the construction of defense lines along the thousand-kilometer front, according to the AP. Fears among Ukrainian soldiers are growing as a new Russian offensive looms. Based on interviews with a dozen Ukrainian soldiers, government officials and directors of construction companies, The Associated Press reported this.