Russia is pounding the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar with missile strikes, according to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military.
The Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Serhii Cherevatyi said that in the past day, Russian forces had fired some 299 rockets and artillery shells at the town, which is about 40 kilometers (approximately 25 miles) southwest of the city of Donetsk.
“The Russians have been trying to break through our defenses near Vuhledar. … Now they are also concentrating their forces there, concentrating aggressive, powerful strikes on our defense,” Cherevatyi said on Ukrainian television Saturday.
“In principle, the purpose and the direction of their attacks are obvious. They want to break through our defense and move on to the Pokrovsk and Dobropillia areas. And the goal of all these aggressive actions in this direction, and in the direction of Bakhmut, is to capture our Ukrainian Donbas,” he added.
Some more context: Military analysts believe Russia may have an additional reason for stepping up its activities around Vuhledar: To tie up Ukrainian forces defending the town in order to weaken Ukraine’s defenses to the north. Russia may also be planning an offensive in the neighboring Luhansk region, experts say, as well as continuing efforts to capture Bakhmut.