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Russia will attempt to capture the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, just west of the Russian-occupied Bakhmut, by May 9, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News published on April 21.
On May 9, Russia celebrates Victory Day, a heavily militarized holiday marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in the World War II.
Zelensky's comments align with those made by Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on April 14, amid a deteriorating situation in the region as Ukrainian ammunition and supplies run short.
"I visited the region recently. I talked to the soldiers. The soldiers say that they lack equipment," Zelensky said. "They need to fight Russian reconnaissance drones, which essentially guide the artillery. And we need artillery shells. I hope we will be able to stay, and the weapons will come on time, and we will repel the enemy and then we'll break the plans of the Russian Federation."
For months, Ukraine had repeatedly called on the U.S. to pass the much-needed aid amid dwindling air defenses and ammunition on the battlefield. The U.S. Congress approved a $61 billion aid package on April 20, with the aid package widely expected to be approved by the U.S. Senate in the coming days. U.S. President Joe Biden has promised to quickly sign the bill into law if approved by the Senate.
According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War on April 20, Russian forces may still be able to make operationally significant advances in the coming weeks as U.S. supplies slowly roll into Ukraine.
"The Russian military command will likely intensify offensive operations and missile and drone strikes to pursue operationally significant effects that will certainly become harder to achieve against well-provisioned Ukrainian forces," the ISW report read.
Chasiv Yar, a nearly-emptied and heavily damaged town located around 10 kilometers (six miles) west of Bakhmut, appears to be Russia's next goal. Russia ramped up its offensive on Chasiv Yar after capturing Avdiivka, which lies about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southward, and its tempo of advance declined in early March. Russia sees Chasiv Yar as a crucial milestone for further advances toward Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, the Ukrainian military said.
About 800 people remain in Chasiv Yar, according to local authorities.
Earlier on April 5, Moscow's proxies claimed that Russian troops had entered Chasiv Yar's suburb, but Ukraine's military later refuted that statement.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
