Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s army will not relinquish even a square centimetre of their land in fights in Donetsk. Russian appointed officials, meanwhile, report Ukraine entering the city with tanks, according to Reuters.
The hottest spots of the war in Donetsk industrial district are located around Bakhmut, Soledar and Avdijivka.
«The activity of occupying forces remains high. We observe dozens of attacks every day,» Zelenskyy mentioned in his evening speech on 8 November.
«They are suffering enormous losses. The objective stays the same – reaching the administrative border of Donetsk. We will not relinquish even a square centimetre of our land,» stressed the Ukrainian president.
This region is one of the four Russia has annexed since September.
Russian-appointed mayor of Snihurivka (Mykolaiv region) told Russian RIA that residents of the city can see tanks on the city streets and there are intense battles: «People can see military vehicles moving through the city centre».
Russian appointed head of Kherson administration Kiril Stremousov reported on Telegram that Ukrainian forces are moving forward in three direction, including Snihirivka. The head of the local administration in Mykolaiv Vitaliy Kim reports that Ukrainian forces may have already kicked the Russian army from the area. On his Telegram page, Kim announced: «Russian troops complain [in communications] that they have lost this territory.»
Reuters has not been able to confirm this, however. Neither Ukraine nor Russia have made any official announcements on this matter.
In recent months Ukraine has been on a counter-offensive. Russia, on the other hand, has been regrouping forces to maintain control over territories occupied in Ukraine.
Hundreds of thousands of reservists were mobilised last month.
Kyiv military analyst Oleg Zhdanov reported on his page on YouTube that 21 Russian recruits have surrendered near Svatove (Luhansk region). «These pitiful mobilised men – truly pitiful, left without food or water for three days – of course they decided to surrender.»
Russian TASS reported that Ukrainian forces performed a missile attack on Kadyivka using HIMARS. Four civilians were injured in this attack.
Ukrainian officials accuse Russian troops of looting and damaging infrastructure: «A cargo convoy loaded with construction materials and household electrical appliances passed over Kakhovka dam.»
According to reports from Ukrainian officials, Russian forces destroy communication towers and look equipment. In Berislava Russian forces are accused of blowing up power lines and stealing solar panels. In Kherson Russian forces are accused of stealing exhibits, furniture and equipment from the local museum of art.
Kherson is one of the four regions occupied by Russian forces and, possibly, the most important one.
It provides a land route to Crimea and the estuary of Dnipro River.
Zelenskyy reports that approximately four million residents in 14 regions, including Kyiv, are left without electricity. 9 November marks the start of scheduled nation-wide power outages. Russian forces, meanwhile, continue missile and drone attacks on power infrastructure.
Also read: Ukraine’s forces prepare to liberate Kherson