Ukraine army chief says Russia making significant ‘gains’ in east of country

The head of Ukraine’s military has warned that the situation on the battlefield in the country’s east has “significantly worsened” in recent days.

Fierce fighting is taking place in several villages in the eastern Donbas region.

General Alexander Silsky said Russia was benefiting from warmer weather – making it easier for its tanks to enter terrain – and making tactical gains.

Germany said it would provide Ukraine with additional Patriot missile defense systems to protect against air strikes.

In an update posted on social media on Saturday, General Sirsky explained that the situation on the Eastern Front has deteriorated as Russia intensifies its armored attacks.

He said fighting was raging for control of Bohdanivka, a village west of the devastated city of Bahmut.

The settlement is a few kilometers northeast of the Kiev-controlled town of Chasiv Yar, which Russia has been trying to reach after seizing the southern town of Avdievka in February.

Ukrainian officials say a slowdown in military aid from the West, especially the United States, has left it more vulnerable to aerial attacks and severely outgunned on the battlefield.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has failed to advance a new military aid bill despite repeated pledges of commitment to Ukraine’s defense. The Democratic-controlled Senate passed new funding in February, including $60 billion in aid to Kyiv, but conservative House Republicans opposed the bill because it did not include border security funding.

General Silsky said that without new aid and sophisticated weapons, Kiev would not be able to “seize the strategic initiative” from the numerically superior Russian army.

On Saturday, Germany vowed to provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems. Ukraine has made increasingly urgent calls for anti-aircraft missiles in recent weeks.

On Friday, a major power plant near Kiev was completely destroyed by a Russian attack. Officials said the Tripilia power plant is the largest electricity supplier to three regions, including Kiev.

In response, Berlin agreed to provide Kiev with additional Patriot missile systems. It is capable of intercepting Russia’s most advanced munitions, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure had caused untold suffering.

President Zelensky thanked Germany for the decision, saying it “really shows support for Ukraine.”

Moscow has stepped up airstrikes in Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin won a staged election last month.

Russia has launched three major air strikes on its energy system in recent days, hitting power plants and substations.

Elsewhere, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it had foiled an assassination attempt on Kherson region governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Officials said two men tried to attack Prokudin’s car with a Russian-made drone.

“This is not the first attempt, and it may not be the last,” Prokudin said in a message posted on Telegram.

SBU officials also said they have detained 11 members of the Russian agent network since the beginning of 2024. SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk said in another Telegram post that this builds on a network of 47 Russian agents arrested last year.