Russians advance

Kiev announces massive increase in troops

160,000 people are said to be mobilized.(Bild: AFP/Roman PILIPEY)

According to a government representative, Ukraine is planning to increase the size of its army by a further 160,000 soldiers. This number of men will also be called up for military service, explained the Secretary of the National Security Council, Oleksandr Lytynenko, in parliament in Kiev on Tuesday. 

Security sources added that this mobilization should take place within three months. Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian military officer confirmed reports of massive problems at the front in the western part of the Donetsk region.

"We all know that I am not betraying a military secret when I say that our front has collapsed," said Major General Dmytro Marchenko in a video interview published on Monday evening by ex-parliamentarian Boryslaw Beresa.

Russians with partial successes
The Russian troops had already entered the town of Selydowe and would soon have conquered it, he predicted. At midday on Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the capture of the town.

Martschenko cited several reasons for the Russian advance: "Firstly, there is a lack of ammunition and weapons, secondly, there are no people, no replacements, the soldiers are tired, they cannot cover the front line where they are," complained the Major General. In addition, the command is not optimal. At the beginning of the war, Marchenko made a name for himself with the successful defense of the southern Ukrainian regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion since February 2022. The invasion forces have been advancing in eastern Ukraine for just over a year. Most recently, they have captured several smaller towns such as Krasnohorivka, Ukrajinsk, Vuhledar and Hirnyk in the Donetsk mining region.