Ukraine under pressure

USA prepares extensive aid package

According to the United States, it wants to provide Ukraine with a further "substantial" aid package. This should happen by the end of the month, said John Kirby, US government spokesman for national security, via video link at a conference in Kiev on Saturday.

The situation around the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine is currently a particular cause for concern, said Kirby. According to the Russian army, it recently captured another village nearby. "The village of Jelannoe Perwoe (Jelanne Perche in Ukrainian) has been liberated," the Moscow Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday.

Pokrovsk threatened by advance
The small town is located in the area of Pokrovsk, a logistically important city for Ukraine, which is threatened by the Russian advance. The Russian army has advanced rapidly in the Donetsk region in recent weeks. It regularly reports the capture of further locations in the eastern Ukrainian region.

Ukraine under military pressure
Ukraine has been under heavy military pressure for weeks. In the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, the Russian army is advancing on the logistically important city of Pokrovsk.