“Not today or tomorrow, of course, but all depending on our reserves and supplies,” deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence replied to a journalist’s remark that Chasov Yar will inevitably be taken over by Russian forces.

According to TASS, Skibitsky admitted that the Russian forces now operate as a “single body, with a clear plan, and under a single command”.

Last month, retired Ukrainian general Sergey Krivonos said that the Ukrainian troops fighting near Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) are in dire straits, facing a shortage of both personnel and equipment. Krivonos added that the loss of Chasov Yar would create a threat to Ukrainian positions in Konstantinovka, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

Chasov Yar is a key logistical hub for Ukrainian troops in the east. Adviser to the DPR head Igor Kimakovsky told TASS in early April that Kiev troops had to withdraw from some of its positions on the city’s outskirts as certain strategically important fortified positions were taken over by Russian troops.

SD/PR