US forces are paying a high price for “limited” territorial gains in the battle for Donbass, according to Britain’s defense chiefs. In the latest update on information about the war in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defense said that there were fierce battles around the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region of the country. However, the Foreign Ministry said that Russia’s push to seize control of eastern Ukraine – now the main focus of the conflict – met with “strong Ukrainian resistance”. “The Battle of Donbass remains Russia’s main strategic focus in order to achieve its stated goal of securing control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” the foreign ministry said. “In these regions the fighting was particularly intense around Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, with an attempt to advance south from Izium to Slovyansk.
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“Due to the strong Ukrainian resistance, Russian territorial gains have been limited and achieved at a significant cost to Russian forces.” Despite Russian pressure on Donbass, Thursday’s rocket attack on Kyiv during a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underscored how the Ukrainian capital and other parts of the country remain vulnerable to attack. The rockets hit the central Shevchenko district of the city and one fell on the lower floors of a 25-storey residential building, injuring at least 10 people, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the blasts “prove that we must not lose sight of this. We must not believe that the war is over.” Speaking to the BBC after the strike, Mr Guterres said he was “shocked to learn that two rockets had exploded in the city where I was”. He added: “So this is a dramatic war and we must definitely end this war and we must definitely have a solution for this war.” Meanwhile, about 8,000 British troops will take part in exercises across Eastern Europe to combat Russian aggression in one of the largest developments since the Cold War. Dozens of tanks will be deployed in countries ranging from Finland to northern Macedonia this summer as part of plans that have been strengthened since the invasion of Ukraine. They will be joined by tens of thousands of troops from NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force, which includes Finland and Sweden. The foreign ministry said the action had been planned for some time, but had been stepped up in response since Russia invaded its neighbor in late February. The commander of the Field Army, Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse, said: “The United Kingdom is making a significant contribution to Europe’s defense and to preventing Russian aggression. “The range of British military exercises is fundamental to both. “The scale of development, combined with the professionalism, training and flexibility of the British military, will prevent aggression on a scale not seen in Europe this century.” The growth of the UK is expected to reach a ceiling of about 8,000 people who will be active in mainland Europe between April and June. “Europe’s security has never been more important,” said Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. “These exercises will see our troops join forces with allies and partners across NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force in a show of solidarity and strength in one of the greatest joint developments since the Cold War.”
