Ukraine’s top general says the situation is “difficult” around the main Russian attack

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Sunday the situation was “difficult” around Russia’s main offensive, which is concentrated in eastern Ukraine, but that all necessary decisions were being made.

Syrskyi did not give the exact location of the main Russian offensive, but earlier both he and President Volodymyr Zelenskii said Russian forces were targeting the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.

“The situation is difficult in the direction of the enemy’s main attack. But all necessary decisions at all levels are being made without delay,” Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app.

Syrskyi said last week that he had spent several days on the eastern front near Pokrovsk and described the fighting there as “exceptionally tough”.

Russia, which has captured swaths of eastern Ukraine since launching a full-scale invasion in February 2022, continues to advance there in heavy fighting.

The gains have continued since Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region on August 6, apparently aimed at diverting Russian resources and strengthening Kiev’s position in any future negotiations.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Toby Chopra and Mark Potter)