KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian forces reported heavy Russian strikes and attempts to advance on several towns in the eastern region of Donetsk, which has become a key focus of the near six-month war, but claimed that they had repelled many of the attacks.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also reported Russian shelling of more than a dozen towns on the southern front—particularly the Kherson region, which is mainly controlled by Russian forces, although Ukrainian troops are capturing territory there.
Much attention has been focused on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine amid fears of a catastrophe over renewed shelling in recent days, which Russia and Ukraine blame on each other.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the establishment of a demilitarized zone.
The Zaporizhzhia plant dominates the south bank of a vast reservoir on the Dnipro River. Ukrainian forces controlling the towns and cities on the opposite bank have come under intense bombardment from the Russian-held side.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is seeking to inspect the plant, has warned of a nuclear disaster unless the fighting stops. Nuclear experts fear fighting might damage the plant’s spent fuel pools or reactors.
Fighting in East, South
Kyiv has claimed for weeks that it’s planning a counteroffensive to recapture Zaporizhzhia and neighboring Kherson Province, the largest part of the territory Russia seized after its Feb. 24 invasion.Ukraine’s military command stated early on Aug. 14 that Russian soldiers had continued unsuccessfully to attack Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka, which, since 2014, has become one of the outposts of Ukrainian forces near Donetsk.
Ukrainian military expert Oleg Zhdanov said the situation was particularly difficult in Avdiivka and nearby towns, such as Pisky.
“We have insufficient artillery power in place and our forces are asking for more support to defend Pisky,” he said in a video posted online. “But the town is basically under Ukrainian control.”
Reuters couldn’t independently verify the battlefield accounts.
The conflict has pushed Moscow–Washington relations to a low point, with Russia warning that it may sever ties.
On Aug. 15, North Korean state media outlets reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin told leader North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the two countries would expand “comprehensive and constructive” ties.
In July, North Korea recognized the Russian-backed breakaway “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.
Grain Ships
Amid the fighting, more ships carrying Ukrainian grain left or prepared to do so as part of a deal struck late last month to ease a global food crisis.An Ethiopia-bound cargo ship, the first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was preparing to leave in the next few days.
