Russia makes "powerful breakthrough" to Chasiv Yar to open way to 3 more localities - Khortytsia group of troops

Ilya Yevlash, the head of the press service of the Khortytsia operational and strategic group of troops, told Radio Svoboda.

"They (the Russian troops - ed.) are accumulating very powerful forces, and as of now, this can be considered one of their most powerful breakthroughs to Chasiv Yar... Access to Chasiv Yar will open the way for the enemy to continue their offensive, a bridgehead for an offensive on Kostiantynivka. And, of course, the main target in the Donetsk region is the Kramatorsk-Sloviansk agglomeration," he said.

"That is why the enemy spares no effort, tries to seize the moment - for quite some time it has been using the tactic of looking for weaknesses. And at the slightest opportunity to break through the defense somewhere, they reinforce their groups and resort to assault actions," added the spokesman.

According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been preparing for the defense of Chasiv Yar for a long time, and minefields, both anti-tank and anti-personnel, are waiting for the Russian forces in this direction. The Ukrainian Defense Forces have also built embankments and anti-tank barriers to prevent the advance of Russian heavy equipment.

"We have been preparing for the defense of Chasiv Yar for a long time, even when the enemy managed to capture Bakhmut. Of course, it was clear that we needed to equip additional defense lines, more favorable ones. Since Chasiv Yar was the largest offensive settlement in this direction," Yevlash summarized.

• On February 17, the Defense Forces Command decided to withdraw units from Avdiivka and move to defense on more favorable lines.
• On February 26, Dmytro Lykhoviy, a spokesman for the Tavria group of troops, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had withdrawn from the village of Lastochkyno, 6 km from the temporarily occupied Avdiivka in Donetsk region, and were reinforcing the defense line to prevent the Russian troops from advancing.
• On the same day, Lykhoviy said that Russia continued its attempts to advance toward Orlivka from three directions, but was unsuccessful. Russian aviation and artillery turn fortifications and villages into ruins, so sometimes the Ukrainian Armed Forces are forced to withdraw.
• On February 27, Ukrainian troops withdrew from the villages of Sieverne and Stepove near Avdiivka.