Ukraine troops face 'difficult defence' in east as bitter cold sets in, says Zelensky

KYIV - Ukrainian troops face "difficult" defensive operations on parts of the eastern front with bitter winter cold setting in, but forces in the south are still conducting offensive actions, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov 22.

Russian troops launched offensives on different sections of the front line in Ukraine's east this autumn,

trying to advance

on the devastated town of Avdiivka, and in the north-east between the towns of Lyman and Kupyansk.

"Difficult weather, difficult defence on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka fronts. Offensive actions in the south," Mr Zelensky said, on Telegram messenger.

Snow and freezing temperatures that stood at about minus 5 deg C during the day on Nov 22 and which were expected to drop lower may further complicate operations on the battleground, where fighting is moving to an attritional phase.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine. Kyiv launched a counteroffensive to retake occupied territory this summer, but has not forced a major breakthrough.

Since mid-October, Avdiivka, where the front line has changed little since the first war erupted in 2014 between Kyiv and Russian-backed militants, faced waves of attacks followed by temporary lulls, according to the Ukrainian military.

After one such lull the day before, the head of the "Tavria" military command said on Nov 22 that Russian troops had "dramatically increased" the number of assaults and airstrikes.

"Our defenders are steadfastly holding the defence in the Avdiivka direction," Commander Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said on Telegram.

Ukrainian forces continued the offensive on the southeastern Melitopol front, he added.

In their morning readout on the battlefield, the General Staff said troops were also holding onto the bridgeheads secured on the eastern side of the River Dnipro that was occupied by Russian forces in the early days of their invasion.

Reuters could not independently verify the front-line reports. REUTERS