Russia declares battlefield gains as NATO ramps up support for Ukraine

Reuters:

KYIV, Feb 16 – Russia said it had broken through two fortified defence lines in Ukraine’s east, while Western allies pledged to ramp up military aid to better arm Kyiv as it prepares for a counter-offensive.

Bolstered by tens of thousands of reservists drafted in December, Russia has intensified attacks across southern and eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, and a major new offensive is widely expected as the first anniversary of its invasion nears.

“The enemy’s offensive continues in the east, (with) round-the-clock attacks,” Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said.

“The situation is tense. But our fighters are not allowing the enemy to achieve their goals and are inflicting very serious losses,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday.

Earlier, the Russian Defence Ministry said Ukrainian forces had retreated in the face of Russian operations in the Luhansk region, although it gave no details and Reuters was not able to verify this and other battlefield reports.