Ukraine. “A Ukrainian general visits the front near Pashmut” • Two people were killed and six wounded in Russian attacks in Donetsk

Ukraine said it made further gains on Friday during counter-attacks around the hotly contested eastern city of Pashmut. The Ukrainian army also managed to advance towards Pashmut on Thursday.

“The enemy continues its attacks inside the city,” Sergei Cherivaty, commander of the eastern armed forces, told state television.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces put pressure on the Russian soldiers outside the city and continued to advance there. “The situation in Bashmoit is difficult, but it is under control,” Sherivati ​​said. “We can see, anticipate and prepare for the enemy’s intentions.”

Russian forces have been trying to capture the strategic city of Bashmut for months, but they seem to be losing momentum. They control large parts of the almost completely destroyed city, but Ukrainian forces have been advancing from the north and east in recent days to outflank the Russians.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Moscow had moved thousands of soldiers to Pashmut for reinforcements. “The enemy cannot win with quality, so he tries with quantity,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “The Russian forces continue to attack with losses far greater than ours.”

And in the south, in the coastal city of Mariupol, which has been under Russian control since spring, explosions were heard at the airport on Friday evening, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported.