Russia, Ukraine battle over Donetsk towns

Kiev: Fierce clashes took place Ukrainian and Russian forces as the two warring sides fought for control of Avdiivka and Bakhmut in the contested eastern region of Donetsk.

Troops loyal to Moscow are trying to drive the Ukrainian military out of their positions, dpa news agency quoted reports as saying from both countries.

The city of Donetsk itself has been controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, but the Ukrainian army continues to hold large parts of the surrounding region of the same name. Russian forces say they are making gains in the Donetsk region, although Kiev claims to have repelled their advances in some areas.

The Ukrainian General Staff said soldiers had fought off Russian attacks north-east and east of Soledar and Bakhmut, while they said fighting continued south of Bakhmut. However, Brigadier General Olexiy Hromov admitted that Ukrainian troops there had had to withdraw from the village of Semyhirya.

Hromov also said Ukrainian fighters had left their positions south-east of the industrial town of Avdiivka.

Kiev's forces deflected Russian advances north of Sloviansk, west of Donetsk and in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, the staff report said, despite Russian shelling of dozens of Ukrainian positions along the whole of the front line, alongside Russian aerial attacks.

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