Ukrainian forces have withdrawn Russian troops from the village of Orlivka, west of Avdiivka, but the situation on the eastern front remains difficult, Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

Orlivka is located less than 2 kilometers northwest of Lastochkino, recently occupied by Russian troops.

Russian troops captured the strategic town of Avdiyivka in eastern Ukraine last week after a months-long assault and are pushing for several other areas along the front line, Ukrainian authorities said.

This week, the Ukrainian army announced that it had withdrawn from two more villages near Avdiyivka, losing more territory due to reduced support from its Western allies.

“The enemy continues active offensive actions in many areas of the contact line. The situation is especially tense in the directions of Avdiyivka and Zaporizhzhia,” Sirskyi said in the Telegram messenger.

He stated that Russian paratroopers are trying to break through Ukrainian defenses and capture the settlements of Tonenke, Orlivka, Semenivka, Berdychi and Krasnohorivka.

Syrskyi, who visited the troops on the Eastern Front, said that some commanders found certain shortcomings in terms of “situational knowledge and assessment of the enemy”, which directly affected the stability of the defense in certain areas.

“We have taken all measures to correct the situation on the spot, with the allocation of additional ammunition and material resources, as well as the necessary reserves,” said Sirskyi.

Ukraine is desperately asking its allies for weapons and ammunition

The Ukrainian military and President Volodymyr Zelenskyi have repeatedly stated that the troops lack the military equipment and ammunition needed to repel Russian attacks due to the lack of military aid from Western allies.

Zelenskyi on Wednesday asked his allies to make a decision to speed up arms and ammunition deliveries, insisting there was no time to waste on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military.

On Ukraine’s eastern front, after capturing the fortress city of Avdiyivka, the Russian army continues to push back ammunition-strapped Ukrainian forces, weary from two years of war and with depleted casualties, which Zelenskyi said on Sunday had reached about 31,000 Ukrainians. dead soldiers, the first official death toll was provided by Kyiv, after which Moscow declared that “Zelensky is lying”.

Zelensky complained that of the one million 155-mm projectiles promised by the EU to his country a year ago, only about 300,000 were actually delivered. The Czech Republic recently announced that it has identified sources for the rapid acquisition in third countries of approximately 500,000 155 mm shells and approximately 300,000 122 mm shells, but EU countries still need funding for these purchases, which is currently under discussion.