Russia sets timeline for vital battle: Kyiv

KYIV: Ukraine’s top commander says Russian forces aim to capture the town of Chasiv Yar by May 9, setting the stage for an important battle for control of high ground in the east where Russia is focusing its assaults.

The fall of the town west of the shattered city of Bakhmut by the date Moscow marks the Soviet victory in World War 2 would indicate growing Russian battlefield momentum as Kyiv faces a slowdown in Western military aid.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who at the weekend warned the situation in the east had deteriorated, yesterday said Russia was focusing its efforts west of occupied Bakhmut to try to capture Chasiv Yar before moving towards the city of Kramatorsk.

Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region lies 5km10km from Bakhmut, the devastated city captured by Russian forces in May last year after months of bloody fighting.

Kyiv’s brigades were holding back the assaults near Chasiv Yar for now and had been reinforced with ammunition, drones and electronic warfare devices, he said in a statement.

‘‘The threat remains relevant, taking into account the fact that the higher Russian military leadership has set its troops the task of capturing Chasiv Yar by May 9,’’ he said, without elaborating.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, writing on Facebook, said he visited Ukrainian units on the eastern front yesterday and described the situation as ‘‘tense’’, as Russia tried to make headway in areas west of Bakhmut.

Russia marks May 9 with a big military parade in Red Square. The war has escalated in recent weeks as Russia staged three massive air strikes on Ukrainian power plants and substations, raising fears over the resilience of an energy system that was hobbled in the war’s first winter.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Ukrainians in his nightly address yesterday: ‘‘The situation at the front during such a hot war is always difficult. But these days — and especially on the Donetsk front — it’s getting harder’’.

The Ukrainian leader has warned the Kremlin may be preparing to launch a big offensive in late spring or summer. It is unclear where that attack would come, but Russia has focused its attacking efforts in the Donetsk region. — Reuters